CHANDIGARH: Of the persons from Punjab reported missing since the Republic Day violence in Delhi, 70 are in jails, while 14 of the remaining 19 missing have been located, said Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in an all-party meeting on Tuesday.
It was decided that an all-party delegation would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raise the issue, along with other concerns. The meeting called for a judicial probe into laxity of those responsible for law and order at Red Fort.
Amarinder told the meeting that five persons from Punjab are still missing. Efforts were being made to trace them, he added. A 70-member team of lawyers has already been formed to provide the farmers legal assistance free of cost.
The lawyers are reaching out to those facing cases filed against them by Delhi Police. The meeting boycotted by the BJP was attended by the Congress,
AAP, SAD, Lok Insaaf Party, SAD Democratic Party, BSP, CPI and CPI(M) and AAP, which, walked out towards the end over their demand of sending out Punjab Police to Delhi borders to provide security to the farmers.
Amarinder added his government will bring state amendment bills to negate the farm laws proposed by the Centre in the state Assembly again since the governor had not sent the earlier bills to the President.
“The Constitution provides that if bills are passed twice by the Assembly, they have to be sent by the governor to the President. The governor should not have sat over the bills. The state was empowered to amend the laws under Article 254 (ii) of the Constitution,” he said.
Don’t extort tractor owners: HC to UP
The Allahabad HC on Tuesday asked the UP government to stop district administrations from seeking personal bonds with exorbitant sums from tractor-owning farmers to prevent them from participating in the protest.
The bench gave the order while disposing of a PIL of Sitapur native, who had accused the district administration from demanding personal bonds of Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh from the tractor-owning farmers same amount.
Congress to give legal aid to those detained
With several farmers arrested by the Delhi Police following violence on Republic Day, the Congress has formed teams to assist them for any legal help.
The legal department passed a resolution saying, “Delegations of legal department from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi will be visiting farmer leaders at protest-sites at borders of Delhi to apprise them of legal services already taken to help farmers and journalists regarding relief and redressal.”