Punjab CM in a Soup

Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amrinder Singh has inadvertently landed in a trouble after airing of a program “Desh Droh,” a talk show, by Zee News, and featured, among others, Dr Jagjit Singh Chauhan and Mr Daljit Singh Bittoo, known Khalistan ideologues, besides a few retired police officers and others. Although CM was quick to order arrest of Jagjit Singh Chauhan.

The Punjab Police chief, Mr S.S. Virk, in a communication addressed to the State Home Secretary, has objected to the contents of the programme describing it as “highly distorted and mischievously motivated presentation about the Punjab problem with the observation that the movement for Khalistan is still simmering and is not over as yet.”

Dr Jagjit Singh Chauhan, wrote Mr Virk, was the most vocal in terms of not only reiterating his demand for Khalistan but also claimed that it would become a reality in the year 2007 and would become an achievable target once Kashmir became a separate nation.

Mr Chohan made statements on the formation of ‘Khalistan’, recently. The Amritsar police had earlier registered a case against him in this regard.

Mr Chohan claimed having completed all formalities at the international level for the creation of ‘Khalistan’.

A police party from Amritsar descended on his residence at 7.30 am and arrested him under various Sections of the IPC, sources in the police revealed. Police vehicles followed a Gypsy in which he was taken to Amritsar.

The police also searched the office of the Khalsa Raj Party in the premises of Chohan Charitable Hospital, run by him for the past couple of years. Flags of ‘Khalistan and Khalsa Raj’ fluttering atop the hospital building, however, failed to draw attention of the police.

Mr Chohan earlier had claimed, “My dream formation of Khalistan” is a continuation of the Khalsa Revolution that will come true with its formation by 2007 end. Formation of Khalistan is not a big job for us now. Our lobby throughout the ‘World favouring ‘Khalistan’ has completed all formalities for running a separate nation.” Mr Chohan also claimed to have currency notes, passports, postage stamps, flags and a blue print and other important documents pertaining to the nation of his dreams.

Mr Chohan claimed their lobby had published currency notes of Khalistan first in 1981 in Canada while passports and postal stamps were published in America and England. Various proponents of ‘Khalistan’ have already been working for the creation of a separate nation ‘Khalistan’ to be established between India and Pakistan, he added. He claimed being in touch with other ‘Khalistan’ ideologues all over the world to give final shape to their thought.

He also claimed to be in touch with certain other ‘terrorist outfits’ in Srinagar and Jammu and Kashmir for solving issues — Kashmir and Khalistan. He claimed that Khalistan would be formed by the end of next year but before that Independent Kashmir would be a separate nation.

Mr Chohan was arrested earlier also for hatching up a conspiracy for anti-national activities. He has been running Chohan Charitable Hospital, Tanda, for treating people. The Punjab and Haryana High Court earlier had stayed his arrest. The court had also directed the state for seeking permission on a seven-day notice before taking Mr Chohan in custody.

The ‘Khalistan’ ideologue denied moving court in self-defence besides filing any public interest litigation (PIL) plea and moving any application seeking release on bail.

Several Sikh organisations reacted sharply to the alleged portrayal of Sikhs in bad light and the giving of weightage to Khalistan ideologues like Jagjit Singh Chauhan by Zee News in the programme ‘Desh droh’, telecast on March 6 and again the following day.

The SGPC chief said the telecast was aimed at creating hatred, suspicion and ill will for the community.

“It was an attempt to denigrate Sikhs and show them to be anti-national,” said former SGPC Secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta.

He demanded an unconditional and public apology by the channel and threatened to file a defamation suit against it if it failed to do so.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President Harvinder Singh Sarna, in a communication to the Union Minister of State for Home, said the programme was a plan to show Sikhs in bad light.

Akali Dal (Delhi) President Paramjit Singh Sarna, in a press note, said it could represent the personal opinion of a few, but not the entire Sikh community.

He added that it was intended to create a fear psychosis and revive the spectre of terrorism.

Akali Dal (Amritsar) General Secretary Ram Singh alleged that the programme was a conspiracy by Hindutva elements to defame Sikhs.

Ropar: All-India Shiromani Akali Dal President Jaswant Singh said on Wednesday that the party would file a writ in the Supreme Court against the channel which had telecast a programme on terrorism in Punjab and shown interviews of various persons raising the demand for Khalistan.

The Home Ministry and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry would be made party in the case for allowing such programmes to be broadcast, he added.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the telecast of the programme had hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs in India and abroad.

Members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) led by Akali Dal leader Paramjit Singh Sarna met Home Minister Shivraj Patil today to seek action against a private channel for telecasting purported interviews with some Sikh leaders projected as ‘proponents of Khalistan’.

“The inspired TV programme aims at downgrading the Sikh community in the eye of majority of Indians and seeks to remind them of the days when Sikhs were conveniently painted as ‘traitors’ of the country,” Mr Sarna said in a press conference.

He said that the committee had already written letters to the Prime Minister and the Information and Broadcasting Minister to prevent relaying of such programmes. If the channel does not apologize, the DSGMC would file a case in the court, he said.

He said that today Punjab was one of the most peaceful states in the country and showing such programmes could arouse wrong sentiments in many people. “The programme could send wrong signals about the community,” he said.

Within a day of the Punjab Police having picked up Khalistan ideologue Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan, the Mohali police today arrested Khalistan sympathiser Kanwarpal Singh Dhami of the Akal Federation on charges of sedition and making anti-national statements.

A team from the Phase I police station here led by SHO Satnam Singh picked up Dhami this evening, reportedly from the premises of Dhami’s Guru Asra Trust at Palsora in Chandigarh.

He has been booked under Sections 124-A (Sedition), 124-B (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153-B (making imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.

Confirming the development, the IG, Patiala Range, Mr S.K. Sharma, said taking cognizance of the Zee TV talk show “Desh Droh” aired on March 6, a case had been registered against Dhami and others in Mohali.

He said the others shown on the TV programme, including and Daljeet Singh Bitooo, were likely to be arrested under similar charges.

Dhami had along with Jagjit Singh Chauhan, been shown on a television making statements regarding the creation of “Khalistan”. The talk show had reportedly shown Chohan making statements to the effect that “Khalistan” would be a reality by the end of 2007.

The police reportedly also sealed the office of the “Khalsa Raj Party” inside the hospital premises after taking certain objectionable documents and a computer into possession. Sources in the police disclosed that a case under Sections 121, 124-A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Dr Chohan by Tanda police last night.

Police officials were reluctant to register a case against Dr Chohan but they have to book him under pressure, sources in the police disclosed.

Highly placed sources revealed the police had also detained certain family members of Dr Chohan, including his wife Mrs Charanjit Kaur, and friends for questioning in the case. Apart from taking some documents from his office, the police also took some computers and other electronic communication instruments for investigations.

Mr Lok Nath Angra, Senior Superintendent of Police, claimed that Khalistan ideologue Chohan was booked for creating lawlessness by making anti-national statements. Mr Harish Kumar, Superintendent of Police (Detective), has been asked to conduct investigation in the case.

The SP (D) claimed that certain flags, a computer and some pamphlets were taken into possession after searching the office of the Khalsa Raj Party inside the building of Chohan Charitable Hospital in Tanda, last night. He said during search neither the currency notes, nor any passport, postal stamps and blueprints of Khalistan were found in Chohan’s office.

Mr Kumar added during questioning Chohan’s wife disclosed that the currency notes, passports and other documents pertaining to Khalistan were in England. The SP (D) also claimed that the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the computer is being examined for detecting Mr Chohan’s links with other Khalistan ideologues in the World.

The police in civil dress have been deployed in Tanda and other towns to keep a watch on associates of Mr Chohan for establishing his links with other ‘outfits’, police sources disclosed.

The President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, while demanding an independent inquiry into the matter, blamed the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and his close aides for having "engineered" the programme to create terror with regard to "Khalistan" in the minds of people ahead of the coming Assembly elections.

Mr Badal and his party demanded an independent inquiry by a Judge of the High Court or the Central Bureau of Investigation into the matter. He also demanded that all those who were involved in filming and telecasting the programme should be found out.

He called the programme " politically motivated" and added that it was aimed at "defaming the Sikh community and dividing Hindus and Sikhs who are like brothers."

The sinister designs of the anti-national elements, who were trying to foment trouble in Punjab by spreading misinformation about the revival of terrorism, would be crushed with a firm hand and no one would be allowed to ruin the atmosphere of peace and tranquility in the state. This was stated by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, while addressing a public rally near Goluke village in the Guruharsahai Assembly constituency of this border district, represented by his close aide, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Youth Affairs and Sports.

(Source : The Tribune and various websites)