SGPC PRESIDENT TO MANN GOVT: STOP ARRESTING ‘INNOCENT’ YOUTHs

Amid a police crackdown against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his associates, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday asked the Punjab government to stop arresting “innocent” Sikh youths. The apex gurudwara body also strongly condemned the “excesses” being committed by the police against Sikh youths in the state for the past few days.
Punjab Police on Saturday launched a major crackdown against Amritpal and arrested 112 people, including members of ‘Waris Punjab De’, an outfit headed by him. The state government has suspended mobile internet and SMS services until Tuesday noon.
In a statement here, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said it was not right to “deliberately target innocent Sikh youths in Punjab”. Punjab’s Sikh youths have not only contributed to the progress of the state but also that of the country and the world, he said.
The government “should not create an atmosphere of terror in the state in the guise of any phenomenon”, Dhami said, adding that the “misuse of government machinery only for political gain” is not justified. Advising the Punjab government to stop such actions, the SGPC president said if the government is sincere and serious, it should provide employment opportunities to the youth.
Dhami’s remarks came a day after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said governments should refrain from creating “an atmosphere of terror in Punjab for political interests”. The Punjab Police filed an FIR on 23 February in connection with the incident. On Sunday, the police slapped two fresh FIRs against the Khalistan sympathizer and his supporters.