‘Nip evil in bud’: Punjab Congress after Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh’s supporters clash with police

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the violence in Ajnala town after the supporters of Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh clashed with police personnel on Thursday.

“Nip the evil in the bud”, Warring said in a statement, while warning the state government against letting such incidents go without law taking its own course.

He said the people of Punjab had not elected the Aam Aadmi Party government to push Punjab back to the dark days of violence. “What we are seeing today is reminiscent of the past which every Punjabi is scared of," he said.

Warring warned that Punjab cannot afford another era of darkness and violence which people like Amritpal Singh are trying to thrust on the state. “People want peace and harmony and they will not accept any violence”, he said, demanding strict action against Thursday's violence.

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Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the protestors for carrying a copy of the "Guru Granth Sahib" to the police station, saying this was unprecedented and appealed to the Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to take note of the matter and take necessary action also.

“If you really have faith in the Holy Guru, you don’t need to carry it to the police station to fight the cops there”, he said.

The Congress leader also criticized the Punjab government for succumbing to the pressure of the protestors and withdrawing the cases of violence.

“You are setting a dangerous precedent and there will be no end to it”, he warned the AAP-led Punjab government.

KEJRIWAL APPLYING CONGRESS MODEL OF 1980s IN PUNJAB: BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa also slammed the Punjab government over the violence that erupted in Ajnala.

“Kejriwal is applying Congress Model of 1980’s in Punjab. Just like (Indira) Gandhi, he is fanning communal violence and trying to create a separatist image of Sikhs. Today’s violence is a part of this designed modus operandi of AAP and Arvind Kejriwal,” Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.

Another BJP leader, Rajyavardhan Rathore, also slammed the AAP government for rising numbers of crime and terror activities in Punjab.

“The rising number of crimes and terror activities happening under the nose of AAP government in Punjab is alarming. The state is going disarray thanks to lack of leadership and accountability from AAP. Massive failure or a planned way to throw Punjab to anarchy?” Rajyavarshan Rathore said.

WHAT HAPPENED IN AJNALA?

The Punjab Police had booked 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh and his supporters for allegedly kidnapping and thrashing Varinder Singh, a resident of Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district.

On Thursday, Amritpal Singh, along with hundreds of his supporters, began a protest march towards Ajnala from his native village, Jallupur Khera, in Amritsar.

The protesters reached Ajnala at around 12:30 pm and clashed with the police. Cops appealed for peace and asked protesters not to break the barricades. Despite warnings, Amritpal Singh and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke though barricades and stormed into a police station complex.

Three policemen were hurt during the clash, officials said.

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