CHANDIGARH, APRIL 13: Taking strong exception to MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains’ remarks on yesterday’s Nihang attack on a police party in Patiala, a group of Punjab cabinet ministers on Monday demanded registration of an FIR against him for inciting communal disharmony.
Bains, in an interview to a media channel, had termed the Patiala attack a ‘public backlash against the police high-handedness’ over the last few days. It may be recalled that ASI Harjeet Singh had lost his hand in the attack and had to undergo a nearly 8-hour long plastic surgery yesterday.
Bains should be immediately booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and the National Disaster Management Act 2005, as well as relevant sections of the IPC, the minsters demanded.
Cabinet Ministers Tripat Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Vijay Inder Singla and Aruna Choudhary condemned Bains for his provocative and vile remarks and asked him to give up Punjab Police security if he did not trust the force.
The ministers also demanded a unequivocal apology from Bains for politicising the issue for cheap publicity at a time when the entire Punjab Police force was putting their own lives at stake to save the lives of people from the COVID-19 pandemic and working 24X7 to go the extra mile for providing relief to the needy.
“The Punjab Police is doing a commendable job in these critical times and what happened yesterday is reprehensible. By casting aspersions on our police force, Bains has rubbed salt in the wounds of these bravehearts, who are risking their lives for our safety,” said Balbir Singh Sidhu.
Randhawa said this was a time to fight the enemy unitedly and support the frontline warriors who are fighting to save lives by endangering their own.
This is gross disrespect to the great sacrifices being made by our policemen in line of duty and should be condemned by all, added Minister Vijay Inder Singla.
Terming it as yet another desperate attempt by Bains to grab the limelight, Aruna Choudhary said “by giving such statements he is encouraging anti-social elements to attack police”.
Such derogatory statements against the force, which is going beyond the call of duty in service of people, are unpardonable said Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa while castigating Bains for trying to derive political mileage of this tragic incident and at a time when the state and the country is facing unprecedented challenges.
The ministers wished ASI Harjeet Singh a speedy recovery, and said the whole of Punjab was proud of the Punjab Police force and was standing behind them in this war against the pandemic.
