Sidhu takes on Capt Amarinder govt, says cheated people on sacrilege, drug probes - Hindustan Times
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Sidhu takes on Capt Amarinder govt, says cheated people on sacrilege, drug probes

Apr 16, 2021 05:06 PM IST

Taking a swipe at the Capt Amarinder Singh-led ministry in Punjab, former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday said the Congress government had cheated the people who voted it to power on the assurance that it would bring those guilty of the 2015 sacrilege incidents and drug cases to book

Taking a swipe at the Capt Amarinder Singh-led ministry in Punjab, former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday said the Congress government had cheated the people who voted it to power on the assurance that it would bring those guilty of the 2015 sacrilege incidents and drug cases to book.

Former Punjab minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu upped the ante against the Capt Amarinder Singh government in Patiala on Friday. (HT file photo)
Former Punjab minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu upped the ante against the Capt Amarinder Singh government in Patiala on Friday. (HT file photo)

Addressing a press conference in Patiala, Sidhu said: “The government was formed on the promise of punishing the guilty of sacrilege and those involved in the drug cases, but it failed on both fronts. The public feels cheated as the government didn’t kept its promise.”

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Questioning the working of the Capt Amarinder Singh government, he blamed botched-up investigations for the delay in nailing the guilty.

Sidhu, who visited Kotkapura that was the epicentre of the sacrilege incidents and subsequent protests on Baisakhi, demanded that the Punjab government make the reports of the special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 incidents public. He also sought the release of the report on drug cases compiled by special task force chief Harpreet Sidhu.

“In Punjab, the SIT means SITDOWN. No SIT has yielded any result so far,” he said.

On the drug cases, he said that Harpreet Sidhu’s report was handed over to the government by the court for taking action. “The file has been sent to the government through the advocate general to act against the guilty. Why has no action been taken so far? ” he said.

He said if the government does not believe the STF report, it should probe the statements of drug lord Jagdish Bhola and others, who are on record to say that they were only pawns. “Why have the big names involved in the drug racket not been exposed?” he said.

On the sacrilege issue, Sidhu said that the investigation was botched up since 2015. “Why has the government failed to name and nail the guilty? On whose directions did the policemen open fire on protesters? Why are their names not mentioned in the FIR? It’s evident from the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report that the then chief minister had spoken to the then police chief at midnight, hours before the firing on protesting Sikhs was undertaken. The report was tabled in the House, debated and a resolution was passed to punish the guilty, but no concrete action has been taken. Who is responsible?” he said, asking the government to make the report of the sacrilege probe public.

On his course of action, Sidhu said he has started by raising issues. “Sacrilege is the most important issue for me and I will not sit until the guilty are punished,” he said.

He urged the government to make the SIT report public. “Everyone knows who is guilty for the sacrilege and firing on Sikhs besides the drugs problem of Punjab, but why has the government failed to act?” he said, adding: “The public is angry with the government.”

Sidhu declined comment on the resignation of inspector general of police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Vishal Rambani is an assistant editor covering Punjab. A journalist with over a decade of experience, he writes on politics, crime, power sector, environment and socio-economic issues. He has several investigative stories to his credit.

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