CHANDIGARH: US-based separatist body ‘Sikhs For Justice’ (SFJ) launched a mobile app ‘2020 Sikh Referendum’ on Friday — the eve of opening of Kartarpur Corridor, to encourage anti-India sentiments among pilgrims, forcing Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to direct his officers to take up the matter with IT giant Google. The CM also contacted the Centre even as DGP Punjab Dinkar Gupta approached central security agencies for a coordinated effort to tackle the threat of Sikh radicals.
Amarinder said, the app, freely available for download on Google Play, “Is clearly aimed at pushing the ISI agenda of dividing the Sikh community amid the 550th birth anniversary celebration of Guru Nanak Dev.” He demanded that the app be taken down.
“How and why has Google allowed such an App to be uploaded by a known radical extremist group in the first place is questionable,” said the Chief Minister, expressing shock at the IT company’s irresponsible act in letting this happen.
“Google should remove the App from its Play Store without a minute’s delay if it does not want to be perceived as supportive of extremist groups.” he asserted.
He said the development raises serious concerns about the security threat posed to Punjab.
“The timing indicates a patently sinister agenda by ISI to leverage the opportunity created by the Kartarpur Corridor to divide the Indian Sikh community,” said Amarinder.
Pointing out that the SFJ, under whose guise the ISI has been pushing Referendum 2020-had been declared as an Unlawful Association under UAPA by the central government some months ago, he said the organisation’s brazen involvement in violent acts had prompted the action against it. However, with support of ISI, the SFJ continued to push its anti-India campaign, he added.