After 36 days of a massive crackdown Punjab Police arrested the pro-Khalistan preacher Amrit pal Singh in the Moga district on Sunday and sent him to a jail in Assam.
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Amid criticism by the Opposition for the delay in nabbing Amrit pal Singh, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said he did not want any bloodshed during the operation and in an attempt to arrest the radical preacher on that day, “maybe, bullets could have been fired. But we did not want any bloodshed”.
According to media reports, Mann said in a video message hours after the Punjab Police arrested Amrit pal Singh, “As home minister and chief minister, I am sharing with you that had we arrested him on March 18, then bullets would have been fired. We did not want to do that. We could have done anything during the Ajnala violence also when they (Amrit pal and his supporters) carried the palanquin carrying the Guru Granth Sahib, but I did not want anything done. I appreciate the police for exercising such restraint.”
Mann also said he was in touch with senior officials throughout Saturday night about the operation and asserted that those who try to disturb peace will face action as per law.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said the AAP government “defamed the Sikh community” by its handling of the situation.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala slammed both the state and central government, saying that many questions still remained unanswered.
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