Amritsar : The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami has strongly condemned the excesses being done by the police against Sikh youths in Punjab for the past few days.
Harjinder Singh Dhami has said in a statement that it is not right to deliberately target innocent Sikh youths in Punjab.
The statement of the SGPC president on the backlash of Police action whereupon conducted flag marches and searches across Punjab in their manhunt for radical preacher Amritpal Singh, arresting 34 more supporters and shifting four men in custody to a jail in far-off Assam.
“It is not in the interest of the state to arrest the youths by creating fabricated stories without any charge. Punjab has seen many eras and it is very unfortunate that the present government of the state has added another chapter to the situation”, said Dhami.
SGPC President clearly said that the Sikh youth of Punjab have contributed a lot to the progress of not only the state but also the country and the world. But it is sad that Sikh youths are looked at with suspicion repeatedly. The present government of Punjab is also making a similar mistake, he said.
He said that if any fault of someone comes to light, then legal action can be taken against him.
“The government should not create an atmosphere of terror in the state in the guise of any phenomenon. It would be a big mistake of the government to present the practice of consciousness in the Sikh youth as a crime”, said Dhami.
Advising the Punjab government to stop such actions, SGPC President said that if the government is sincere and serious, it should provide employment opportunities to the youth of Punjab. He also said that misuse of government machinery only for political gain is not justified.
A Sikh hardliner outfit ‘Damdami Taksal’ chief Giani Harnam Singh Dhuma in a statement issued said that Punjab Government should forthwith stop to harass Sikh youths in Punjab by slapping false cases as number of Sikh were being arrested.
He said all the arrested Sikh youth should be released unconditionally as such action of Punjab police inviting disturbance in the State and would create law and order problem.
He urged the Punjab chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to intervene in the issue to ensure the release of arrested Sikh youths and status of Bhai Amritpal Singh. He asked the chief Minister that Bhai Amritpal Singh should be handed over to Sikh community without further delay.
At the same time Dhuma urged all the Sikh outfits to come on a single platform to raise voice in favor of Bhai Amritpal Singh.