CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh directed the Director General of Police to register cases under the Disaster Management Act against Opposition leaders and workers who have been staging dharnas in the state over the past few days.
Terming such acts of the Shiromani Akali (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as "irresponsible" and "utter violation" of the curbs in place in view of the pandemic, Amarinder asked DGP Dinkar Gupta to take action against them.
He said that at a time when people could not gather even for weddings and funerals, leaders and workers of these parties were behaving in a reckless manner, showing no concern for the safety and health of Punjabis. Such behaviour could not be allowed or tolerated, he added.
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Pointing out that the AAP dharna on Sunday was in fact in violation of the weekend curfew in place in the state, Amarinder said such protests and political gatherings are potential super-spreaders and had to be firmly tackled.
The law should take its course, he told the DGP, adding that political leaders had a big responsibility towards the society, which these parties had shunned, jeopardising the lives of Punjab’s people.
This, he said, was not the time to play political games and indulge in dirty politicking but to come together to fight the pandemic to the finish.
It may be recalled that even before the Covid restrictions came into effect in the state, he had announced that the ruling Congress in Punjab will not hold any political gatherings.