With reference to the Ajnala incident, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government cannot handle law and order, the Centre should intervene to deal with the situation.
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, the former Punjab CM said, “He (CM Bhagwant Mann) is not interested on what is going on in Punjab. He is afraid of taking any step. Police officials may have got orders not to take any step during the Ajnala incident. The law and order has deteriorated in Punjab.” “No government can run like this, the way this government is running. The day when Ajnala incident took place, Bhagwant Mann was sitting in Mumbai with Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.Notably, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday called on former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray at his Mumbai residence.
Captain Amarinder Singh further raised concerns about the internal security of the country. “The law and order situation in Punjab is horrible. The law and order is not the Centre’s subject. If they (Punjab government) are not able to handle it then the central government will have to take charge. There are drones getting caught every single day, I think the Centre must see it,” he said.
Thousands of supporters of Amritpal Singh, a Khalistan sympathizer, had on Thursday staged a massive demonstration in Amritsar to protest against the arrest of his aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan.
The supporters, who were holding swords and guns in their hands, broke through police barricades erected outside Ajnala police station. The police later said “in the light of the evidence presented”, it has been decided that Lovepreet Singh Toofan will be discharged. Lovepreet Singh was released from jail on Friday following orders of a court in Ajnala on an application by the police.
A day after Ajnala incident in which some policemen were injured, DGP Gaurav Yadav said that appropriate action will be taken against the people involved.
After the clash between supporters of the chief of suspected pro-Khalistan outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’, Amritpal Singh, and Punjab Police erupted in Ajnala, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said the law and order situation is under control.
‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh said the incident concerning Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23 could have been avoided if police were alert and his aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan had not been arrested. Amritpal Singh said in an interview with ANI that the incident and subsequent release of Lovepreet Singh will “change the course of the future”.
