Akali Dal said the crackdown was aimed at smearing Sikhs.
New Delhi:
Calling the large-scale manhunt by the Punjab Police of Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh “unconstitutional” and a “conspiracy”, the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal party on Wednesday offered legal aid to those arrested. caught in the repression.
“Shiromani Akali Dal has decided to provide full legal assistance to all Sikh youth caught in the ongoing extra-constitutional persecution in Punjab and ensure their rights are not trampled on by AAP Punjab,” said leader. director Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal wrote on Twitter.
The conservative party, which considers the leading Sikh religious organization as its ideological mentor, has also released a list of helpline phone numbers to coordinate the effort.
In another tweet, Mr. Badal said, “Shiromani Akali Dal strongly condemns the indiscriminate arrest of innocent Sikh youth especially young Amritdhari on suspicion through unconstitutional methods. I demand the immediate release of all innocent people arrested in the ongoing persecution.”
“Shiromani Akali Dal represents Justice and defends the rights of Punjabis in general and Sikhs in particular within a federal framework, giving more power to the states, a request now repeated by other political parties. again,” he wrote on Twitter.
Mr Badal also claimed that with these arrests, the government of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of the state is trying to smear the Sikh community in order to polarize voters and gain voting rights.
“SAD strongly condemns the puppet AAP regime in Punjab because of the undeclared state of emergency and the lax domination of repression and terrorism in the state. We warn the government against dangerous schemes. dangerous to smear the most patriotic Sikh community because of community polarization and electoral interests,” said Mr Badal.
More than 150 people have been arrested in Punjab for “disrupting peace and harmony” in the state, police said on Tuesday, as they continued their search for Amritpal Singh, a supporter of the call for Khalistan, a nation exclusively for Sikhs.
Police also arrested four more people accused of helping Singh escape on Saturday and released seven photos of the self-styled preacher, including some of him without a turban, in search of his identity. public help to catch fugitives.
