Punjab Police say Amritpal Singh supporters attacking Ajnala police station had been carrying Guru Granth Sahib

Amritpal Singh’s supporters, in a surprising act of chaos and lawlessness, stormed a police station in Ajnala, Amritsar, Punjab, on Thursday, to protest the arrest of Amritpal’s shut companion Lovepreet Toofan Singh. They had been seen donning lathis, swords and weapons, in an try and intimidate the police pressure.

The Khalistanis had taken management over the police station for a number of hours, whereas the policemen regarded on helplessly. No motion was taken towards the rioters. Punjab Police later cancelled the FIR towards Lovepreet Toofan Singh, giving into the calls for of the Khalistanis.

After the incident, Punjab Police have now responded with an announcement in defence of their inaction, after taking warmth for his or her passivity and caving to the calls for of armed anarchists brandishing swords.

According to reviews, the police exercised warning and didn’t retaliate towards the assault of the Khalistanis, as a result of they didn’t need to let issues spiral uncontrolled and make the already risky state of affairs worse. The police have stated that the gang of Amritpal Singh used the holy Guru Granth Sahib as a defend to assault the police station, as they knew that the police wouldn’t need to be accused of sacrilege if one thing occurs to the Granth Sahib in police motion.

Senior Superintendent of Punjab Police, Harpal Singh Randhawa in an interview with NDTV, acknowledged that the assailants weren’t solely armed with weapons but in addition carried Guru Granth Sahib, the holy e book of Sikhs, which precipitated the police to ‘back off.’

“What happened yesterday should not have happened. Punjab Police did not retaliate because Amritpal had brought Guru Granth Sahib with him. If we had retaliated, things would have gone awry. We respected Guru Granth Sahib,” the official remarked.

He asserted, that despite the separatist chief’s assurances of a quiet protest, his males attacked the police.

“Amritpal had earlier said that he would hold only peaceful dharna. But he cheated us. His men attacked the Punjab Police. But we did not retaliate at all because Guru Granth Sahib was in front. I would like to salute the Punjab Police personnel who did not retaliate,” he stated.

#WATCH | Punjab: Supporters of ‘Waris Punjab De’ Chief Amritpal Singh break by means of police barricades with swords and weapons exterior Ajnala PS in Amritsar

They’ve gathered exterior the PS with a view to protest towards the arrest of his (Amritpal Singh) shut aide Lovepreet Toofan. pic.twitter.com/yhE8XkwYOO

— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2023

The senior police officer claimed that the cops made one of the best effort attainable, given the circumstances.

“There is a rule of law in Punjab. Amritpal is not above the law. If we had taken even a little action, the situation could have worsened across Punjab. We did what we saw fit. Whatever happened yesterday, action will be taken according to the law,” he added.

Randhawa refuted prices that Thursday’s police response would encourage folks like Amritpal Singh who’ve campaigned for a separate nation of Sikhs known as Khalistan and that it was an indication of eroding peace and order underneath the state’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) authorities. He additionally denied the presence of any separatist motion within the state.

“No Khalistani movement is going to happen in Punjab. People of Punjab, Punjab Police have finished terrorism from Punjab. These are some bad guys. Amritpal is being called wrong everywhere today. We want to assure the whole country that there is rule of law in Punjab,” he proclaimed.

He assured, that the police case towards Lovepreet Toofan ‘has not been dropped.’ He declared, “A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted and every person’s role will be probed.”

Jumping to the protection of his get together, state minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal commented, “People of Punjab should have faith in chief minister Bhagwant Mann to maintain law and order in the state.”

Ex-Chief Minister of the state, Captain Amarinder Singh additionally expressed concern over the dramatic episode and alleged, “this is not only a complete collapse of the law and order situation in Punjab, but it is also more serious than that.” He additional emphasised that the prevalence had vital safety ramifications for each the state and the nation.

Punjab Police had launched Lovepreet Toofan claiming, “enough proof of his innocence,” after the violent protest.

It is notable that the allegation of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib is a really delicate challenge in Punjab, and police typically maintain their distance from the problem. There have been a number of murders of individuals by mobs on the allegations of sacrilege of the holy e book or different holy objects related to Sikhism. In most such instances, no police motion is taken.