India
oi-Prakash KL
A pro-Khalistan leader has allegedly warned Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma not to torture Sikhs in an alleged audio clip.
The man, in the audio clip, claimed that his name is Gurpatwan Singh Pannu and he is from the banned outfit Sikh for Justice (SFJ). The leader has asked Sarma not to get involved in the battle “between Khalistan Sikhs and Indian regime.”
“This message is for Assam CM Himanta Sarma. Your government is harassing and torturing pro-Khalistan Sikhs in Assam. And also torturing those who are in jail. Listen carefully CM Sarma, the fight is between pro-Khalistan Sikhs and the Indian regime. Sarma you do not fall pray to this violence. We are seeking the liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation through a peaceful democratic process of the Khalistan referendum. Sarma, if your government is going to torture and harass Sikhs, you will be held accountable,” ANI quoted the pro-Khalistan leader as saying.
However, the Assam Police is verifying the audio clip with the central agencies about its authenticity, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Special Branch Hiren Nath told the news agency. “But we have alerted all districts Superintendents of Police and Commissioner of Police, Guwahati. We are now verifying this,” Hiren Nath said.
In February, radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of the Amritsar city, clashing with police for the release of one of Amritpal’s aide. An FIR dated February 24 stands registered against followers of ‘Waris Punjab De’, an organisation headed by Amritpal, for the attack on Ajnala Police Station, police had said.
Amritpal Singh has remained untraceable since a police crackdown against him and members of his ‘Waris Punjab De’ began in Punjab on March 18. In a video surfaced recently, the radical preacher claimed that he was not fugitive and will soon “appear in front of the world”.
Some of his aides were moved to Dibrugarh in Assam. “When one time there were arrests in Assam, we had flown some accused to Bihar’s Bhagalpur jail due to security reasons. Punjab police might have thought its better for the suspects to be in Assam. This is a police-to-police co-operation,” Sarma had told news agency ANI.
Story first published: Sunday, April 2, 2023, 20:01 [IST]
