‘I didn’t sleep whole night…’: Punjab CM on crackdown against Amritpal Singh

He thanked the people of Punjab for their cooperation in a video message yesterday and said he does not want the youth to be misled by people with vested interests who run their shops by driving a campaign against the country.

The chief minister emphasized that Punjab’s land is fertile and anything can grow here, but seeds of hatred will never grow nor will these be allowed to grow. 

“I want the youth of Punjab to hold degrees in their hands, appointment letters for occupying high posts, and medals in top sporting events. People had given the responsibility to the Aam Aadmi Party, which entrusted me with the duty, as the chief minister, to protect the life and property of the people. For that, we may have to take any action or take tough measures… but not against any innocent. The law is taking its course,” Mann said. 

He said after he received information on Saturday night, “I did not sleep the whole night and I was in regular touch with senior officials over phone after every 15 minutes, half an hour to get information.”

“I wanted that entire thing (operation to arrest Amritpal) should be done in a peaceful manner,” he added as quoted by PTI. 

Referring to the police crackdown on March 18 against Amritpal Singh and his aides belonging to ‘Waris Punjab De’ (WPD) outfit, Mann said in an attempt to arrest the radical preacher on that day, “maybe, bullets could have been fired. But we did not want any bloodshed”.

Amritpal, charged under the stringent National Security Act, was arrested in Rode village of Punjab’s Moga district on Sunday morning after police personnel surrounded him, leaving him with no way to escape. He was taken to Dibrugarh in Assam where nine of his associates are presently lodged at Dibrugarh Central jail. 

(With PTI inputs)