Top Sikh Body SGPC Condemns Amritpal Singh Crackdown: `Fabricated Stories, Targeting Innocents..`

Amid a police crackdown against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his associates, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday asked the Punjab government to stop arresting "innocent" Sikh youths. The apex gurdwara body also strongly condemned the "excesses" being committed by the police against Sikh youths in the state for the past few days. Punjab Police on Saturday launched a major crackdown against Amritpal and has arrested 112 people, including members of 'Waris Punjab De', an outfit headed by him. The state government has suspended mobile internet and SMS services till Tuesday noon.

In a statement here, Dhami said it is not right to "deliberately target innocent Sikh youths in Punjab". "It is not in the interest of the state to arrest youths by creating fabricated stories without any charge. Punjab has seen many eras and it is very unfortunate that the present government of the state has added another chapter to the situation," SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said in a statement.

Punjab's Sikh youths have not only contributed to the progress of the state but also that of the country and the world, he said. "But it is sad that Sikh youths are looked at with suspicion repeatedly. The present government of Punjab is also making a similar mistake," he said.

The government "should not create an atmosphere of terror in the state in the guise of any phenomenon", Dhami said, adding that the "misuse of government machinery only for political gain" is not justified. Advising the Punjab government to stop such actions, the SGPC president said if the government is sincere and serious, it should provide employment opportunities to the youth.

Dhami's remarks came a day after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said governments should refrain from creating "an atmosphere of terror in Punjab for political interests". The Jathedar of Akal Takht, which is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, also said governments should refrain from adopting the "practice of oppression and illegal detentions" of the youth who speak for their rights in democratic manner.

Dubai-returned Amritpal was anointed the head of 'Waris Punjab De' last year. The group was founded by actor and activist Deep Sidhu who died in a road accident in February last year. Amritpal managed to give the police a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Jalandhar district on Saturday.

Last month, Amritpal and his supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and barged into Ajnala police station on the outskirts of Amritsar city, and clashed with police for the release of one of his aides. Six policemen were injured in the incident.

Punjab Police filed an FIR on February 23 in connection with the incident. On Sunday, the police slapped two fresh FIRs against the Khalistan sympathiser and his supporters.