CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday called up his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath and asked him to review a case registered against 55 Sikh devotees for allegedly defying prohibitory orders while taking out a religious procession in Pilibhit.
After giving a phone call today morning to Adityanath, Singh tweeted, "Call upon UP CM @myogiadityanath to review the FIR in Pilibhit against 55 religious devotees who participated in the customary Nagar Kirtan to observe the martyrdom of the Sahibzadas.’’
The procession was taken out to observe Shahidi Diwas, the martyrdom of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh.
On December 29, the Uttar Pradesh Police had booked the Sikh pilgrims for allegedly violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC by taking out a religious procession at Kheri Naubaramad village in Pilibhit district.
Meanwhile, referring to the proposed January 1 statewide protest by left-aligned student unions against the CAA, as well as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR), Amarinder said protest was the democratic right of every citizen of India and people, including students, were within their right to stage peaceful dharna, march etc. against these draconian initiatives of the central government, as long as such protests were conducted peacefully.
Even his government, Amarinder pointed out, was totally opposed to CAA, NRC etc in view of the fundamentally divisive and discriminatory nature of the legislation/action initiated by the BJP-led government at the Centre. In fact, during an anti-CAA dharna organised by the Punjab Congress in Ludhiana on Monday, he had reiterated his government’s decision not to allow the controversial legislation to be implemented in the state under any circumstances.
There was, thus, no question, of barring students from coming out against these actions of the central government, he said making it clear that as long as the protestors did not take the law in their hands in any manner, the police would not prevent them from carrying out their proposed campaign.
However, he warned that no violence or destruction of public property would be tolerated during the planned protest. The police had been directed to come down heavily against any attempt by the protestors to vandalise public property or otherwise indulge in any violence during their protest, he added.
Amarinder also urged the student leaders to ensure that proposed protest is carried out peacefully and to keep a check on possible infiltration of goonda elements among the protestors. It may be noted that peaceful protests in some other states had ended up in violence due to such infiltrations.
The police will maintain a strict vigil not just in and around the university campuses but in other sensitive areas and public places across the state, throughout the day, Amrinder said.