Issuing a stern warning to the Damdami Taksal over their alleged threats to Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday cautioned them against any attempt to take the law in their hands.
At the same time, the Chief Minister has also ordered the police to enhance the security of the Sikh pracharak, and to thoroughly examine the incitory video in which the purported death threat is reported to have been issued to him.
The video, which went viral on May 20, 2018, reportedly shows Damdami Taksal’s spokesperson Charanjit Singh Jassowal issuing a death threat (“notification” to kill) to Dhadiranwale.
The Chief Minister has taken suo motu cognizance of reports regarding Jassowal’s instigatory video, according to an official spokesperson.
Taking grave note of reports on the issue, the Chief Minister asked the Damdami Taksal not to step out of their religious boundaries, and warned that he would treat any such intimidatory acts as a threat to the state’s peace and harmony and those found guilty would face stern action.
Making it clear that he would not tolerate the misuse of religion to spread terror or score personal brownie points, the Chief Minister warned the Damdami Taksal that if they did not put an immediate stop to such activities, he would take it as an act of hostility and would respond to it accordingly.
The Chief Minister said that he was completely in favour of granting full freedom to religious organisations to propagate and uphold their religious tenets, but would not allow them to indulge in any act that has the potential to disturb the state’s peace and amity.
Inflammatory speeches and hate crimes had no place in Punjab, which had suffered enough at the hands of terrorism, said the Chief Minister, adding that he had already ordered the police to intensify their crackdown on religious hate mongers.
Ordering a detailed investigation into the matter, the Chief Minister asked the police to identify and scrutinise the video in which the Damdami Taksal spokesperson was alleged to have made open threats to Dhadrianwale. The Chief Minister also directed the police to take suitable action, under the law, against the perpetrators of the video threats against Dhadrianwale, who had escaped an attempt on his life around two years back.
