Chandigarh, January 17, 2021 (Yes Punjab News)
Sukhpal Singh Khaira MLA and former Leader of Opposition has severly castigated the BJP government, for unleashing a reign of terror upon social activists and farm leaders by serving them NIA notices.
Khaira said the recent series of NIA notices sent to many frontline activists who are supporting the farmers agitation was being done under a well-planned conspiracy by the BJP government, to terrorise, intimidate and gag the voice of all those who are supporting and participating in the farmers agitation. Khaira said this amounted to unleashing political terrorism upon all those agitating peacefully.
He said earlier the BJP government has tried all cheap tactics to derail and torpedo the farmers agitation by calling them Khalistanis, terrorists, naxals etc. and accusing them of being funded from countries like China and Pakistan.
Khaira said when all these theatrics of the BJP have failed to dampen the spirit of farmers agitation, the BJP government is now hitting below the belt and misusing NIA to summon people in fabricated FIRs registered under the UAPA law.
Khaira particularly mentioned the names of youth icon Deep Sidhu, Baldev Singh Sirsa SGPC member, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who have been a part of the farmers agitation since the beginning. Khaira said it seemed the BJP government was unable to digest any kind of dissent or even peaceful demonstrations on the issue of the three anti farmer laws and was now resorting to arm twisting and intimidation, so that people do not support the farmers agitation.
Khaira said it has been now reported that almost more than two dozen such activists and farm leaders have been targeted by the NIA through such bogus notices that also include religious people like Jasbir Singh Rode Ex Jathedar of Akal Takhat Sahib. Khaira said during his recent research and ground zero study, he had found that most of the cases registered under UAPA law were based on frivolous and false accusations.
Khaira particularly cited the case of Joginder Singh Gujar of his constituency Bholath who was arrested under UAPA by the Kapurthala police recently based on frivolous allegations of foreign funding.
Khaira said when he investigated the matter of Joginder Singh Gujar who had come from Italy and was a 65 year old man with heart ailment, he found that the allegations of funding to the tune of €200 or his participation in the SFJ convention at Geneva last year was absolutely unsustainable and without any basis.
Khaira said the Punjab police had to ultimately release Joginder Singh Gujar, as they had no concrete evidence against him for foreign funding or any other terror activity.
Khaira said similarly he visited four villages in Patiala and Mansa district to investigate FIR number 144/2020 registered by the Samana police under the new law, only to find that extremely poor voiceless six Dalit youth had been targeted and arrested by calling them Khalistani modules. He said the Punjab police had to release two boys namely Sukhchain Singh of village Shehra in Patiala and Amritpal Singh of village Achanak in Mansa districts, as there was no evidence to show their connection to any terror activity.
Khaira said the NIA had been set up to fight anti-India terror activities but now the UAPA and the NIA was being misused by the BJP government to target its political opponents. Khaira said earlier the BJP government had slapped UAPA cases against human rights and social activist like Varavara Rao, Safoora Jargarh, Anand Teltumbde grandson of our constitution maker Ambedkar ji.
Khaira called upon all political parties particularly Capt. Amarinder Singh CM to take up the large scale targeting of innocent Sikhs under the new UAPA law by the BJP government. Khaira warned the government that in case they did not stop intimidating social activist and farm leaders through the NIA, they would build a mass movement against the politics of vendetta and intimidation by the BJP government.
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