Chandigarh: After a Panchkula based CBI court convicted Dera Sauda Sirsa (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case, the Curfew was clamped in 10 districts of Punjab in Malwa region. Punjab government has said that the curfew was imposed as a precautionary measure.
A statement issued by Punjab CM’s Office in this regard is being shared as follows in verbatim for the information of readers of the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN): –
PUNJAB IMPOSES CURFEW IN SOME AREAS AS PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, CM SPEAKS TO RAJNATH, JAITELY, SONIA
• SAYS VIOLENCE COULD HAVE BEEN AVERTED HAD HARYANA PREVENTED CONGREGATION OF DERA SUPPORTERS
• STATE GOVT ARRANGES OVER 200 BUSES TO ESCORT DERA SUPPORTERS OUT OF PANCHKULA TO PREVENT TROUBLE IN PUNJAB
Chandigarh, August 25
The Punjab government on Friday decided to impose curfew, as a precautionary measure, in sensitive areas of 10 districts of the Malwa region, even as Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh appealed to the people to remain calm and not to take the law in their hands in the wake of the court verdict holding Ram Rahim guilty of rape charges.
The Chief Minister spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to apprise him of the situation in Punjab and said he was keeping a close watch on the developments. He also spoke to Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitely to update him on the law and order in the state, where the Army had been called out in the vulnerable areas to stage flag march.
Captain Amarinder also briefed AICC president Sonia Gandhi on the situation in Punjab and the steps taken by his government to maintain peace and tranquility in the state. Sonia directed the Chief Minister to ensure that the law and order in Punjab is maintained at all costs.
The Army was staging flag march in the curfew-bound areas of Punjab to restore the confidence of the people, said the Chief Minister, adding that the decision to impose curfew in some areas was taken as a preventive step. The curfew orders were issued as Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in Panchkula, where the court verdict was announced, went on a rampage, indulging in large-scale violent that reportedly left more than two dozen people dead and scores injured, besides extensive damage to property.
The state government has also arranged for more than 200 PRTC buses to be made available to the Dera supporters to escort them out of Panchkula in a regulated manner to ensure peaceful transition through Punjab on way back to Sirsa, the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda.
The Chief Minister has also expressed shock that the situation was allowed to escalate by the Haryana government. The trouble could have been averted had the Dera supporters been stopped from aggregating in one place, he said, adding that the Haryana government should have stopped trains and buses from reaching Panchkula, just as Punjab had done.
As an administrator, he would not have allowed such a large crowd to gather, said Captain Amarinder Singh adding that it is difficult to control a large hysterical crowd once it is allowed to accumulate. Preventive and precautionary measures should have been taken in time, he said, adding that it was the responsibility of any state government to maintain law and order.
A government spokesperson later said it was a clear case of abdication of responsibility by the rhe Haryana government in and the attempt by the BJP to politicise the issue by blaming Punjab for the concentration of Dera supporters in Punjab was clearly aimed at covering up the failure of the BJP government in Haryana.
The spokesperson further said the Punjab government was in control of the situation in the state, with the Chief Minister personally monitoring the situation.
The Chief Minister meanwhile said the state had taken all steps to prevent any untoward incident and would not allow the law and order situation to deteriorate at any cost. He urged the people of Punjab not to panic or get swayed by rumours as the situation was under control, barring minor incidents in some areas. The situation in Punjab was under control, with only a few sporadic incidents reported from some areas, he said.
While he expressed the hope that the situation would be controlled by tomorrow morning, the Chief Minister said the Dera supporters were resorting to violence while on their way back to their homes from Panchkula.
In his appeal broadcast through Television and on social media, the Chief Minister exhorted the people of Punjab not to get provoked by rumours and to respect and accept the court orders. He assured the people that a tight blanket of paramilitary and police forces was in place across the state and the Army was also on standby to ensure their safety and security.
The Chief Minister, who went around the vulnerable areas of the state in proximity with Panchkula earlier, ahead of the court verdict, said his government would not allow anyone to destroy the peace and harmony of Punjab at any cost.
“We will not let the atmosphere of the state be vitiated at any cost,” he warned, adding that besides 85 companies of CRPF and BSF deployed on the ground, the Army was in full readiness to deal with any untoward incident. The security forces were fully prepared to tackle any eventuality, he added.
The Chief Minister met paramilitary and Punjab Police personnel standing guard and reviewed the situation on the ground, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said. Captain Amarinder went along the two key roads leading up to Panchkula and visited Zirakpur bordering Panchkula, besides Banur and Mohali.
There was total peace in the state and his government would ensure that the same is not disrupted under any circumstances, the Chief Minister said, expressing the confidence that the state would effectively tackle any eventuality.
The Chief Minister, who shook hands with almost every security personnel manning the areas, inquired about their well-being, and lauded their commitment and hard work. Captain Amarinder asked the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on duty about their home towns and inquired about their families. He also asked the soldiers from Bihar, Jarkhand and Assam about the impact of floods on their home towns and villages.
He was accompanied by his Media Advisor Raveen Thukral, Advisor BIS Chahal and Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar.