A day after Shirom Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal warned the Punjab government on 'wrongful arrests' under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday asked the former deputy chief minister to send a list of such cases instead of making 'unnecessary noises'.
The chief minister said he would do everything under the law needed to protect the security and integrity of Punjab and of the nation.
"If there are any specific instances of wrongful arrest or registration of a case by Punjab Police under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), as he has claimed, Sukhbir should send him a list of the same instead of making unnecessary noise," the Chief Minister said.
Pointing out that UAPA had been in existence for long, the CM further said, "Under the SAD-BJP regime, more than 60 cases under UA(P)A had been registered in Punjab, of which 19 were in 2010 alone and 12 in 2017. Of the 225 individuals arrested in these cases, 120 were acquitted or discharged, indicating that indiscriminate application of UA(P)A had in fact been done by the Akalis during their tenure."
Further accusing Sukhbir Badal of supporting the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ)'s pro-Khalistan agenda, Singh added, "At a time when the countries across the world were rejecting the SJF's pro-Khalistan agenda, Sukhbir was virtually supporting it with his targeted attacks on his own state's police department, which had successfully busted 30 terrorist modules and arrested 170 terrorists since March 2017, to ensure the peace and stability of Punjab in the face of extreme threats."
( With inputs from ANI )