Akali Dal to provide legal assistance to Sikh youths held in crackdown: Sukhbir Badal

Later, in a statement, he said, “It was shocking that scores of youth were being arrested indiscriminately merely on suspicion”. He termed the ongoing crackdown “extra-constitutional”.

Sukhbir’s statement comes amid an ongoing police crackdown on pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit, ‘Waris Punjab De’. The statement, however, did not mention the name of Amritpal Singh, who has been on the run since the police action began on Saturday.

Shiromani Akali Dal has decided to provide complete legal assistance to all Sikh youth arrested in the ongoing extra-constitutional crackdown in Punjab and ensure their rights are not trampled upon by @AAPPunjab govt.

Helpline numbers are given below: pic.twitter.com/SHspqXPqLl

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) March 21, 2023

He said a state-level committee of senior advocates has been formed under SAD legal cell president Arshdeep Singh Kler, which would coordinate with party leaders in districts and provide prompt legal aid where desired. Party leader Virsa Singh Valtoha asked the AAP government to immediately withdraw the National Security Act (NSA) invoked against the Sikh youths arrested during the crackdown.

Addressing a press conference in Amritsar, Valtoha said that it was shocking to see that the Punjab Police have registered cases against some Sikh youths under the NSA on instructions from the state government and have sent them to Dibrugarh jail in Assam.

Invoking the NSA in an ordinary law and order situation cannot be termed wise in any manner, he claimed. Valtoha said the Akali Dal has always advocated that those who violated the law should be punished.

“If police had to arrest Amritpal Singh, they could have arrested him from his residence in the morning on that day and there was no need to enact drama in the matter. Whatever happened has led to spread of terror and fear. Most unfortunate is that national media is presenting Sikhs and Punjab as anti-national,” Valtoha said. He said that “though we can have ideological differences with Amritpal Singh but the manner in which his name was being used to defame Sikhs as anti national was strongly condemnable and will not be tolerated at any cost”.

Meanwhile, SAD (Sanyukt) president and former union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, said that the Punjab government is creating an atmosphere of fear and tension in the state for the past few days.

“Innocent Sikh youths are being targeted deliberately. If anyone’s fault comes to light, then action can be taken according to the law, but under the guise of any phenomenon, the government should not create an atmosphere of fear in the state at all,” he said.