Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday issued a stern warning to the Damdami Taksal — a Sikh seminary — over their alleged threats to Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale and cautioned them against any attempt to take law into their own hands.
The CM also ordered the police to enhance the security of the Sikh pracharak, and to thoroughly examine the video in which the purported death threat has been issued to him, an official press release said.
Taken serious note of reported threat by Damdami Taksal to Sikh pracharak Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale. Won't tolerate such dangerous acts. Have ordered @PunjabPolice to strengthen preacher's security. Have also asked them to examine the threat video and take action.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 24, 2018
The video, which went viral on May 20, allegedly showed Damdami Taksal’s spokesperson Charanjit Singh Jassowal issuing a death threat to Dhadiranwale.
“ਦਮਦਮੀ ਟਕਸਾਲ” ਦਾ “ਮੁੱਖ ਬੁਲਾਰਾ” : “ਨਿਮਰਤਾ ਸਹਿਤ ਬੇਨਤੀ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੋਇਆ” ! ਕਹਿੰਦਾ “ਛੇ ਦੀਆਂ ਛੇ, ਵੱਖੀ ‘ਚੋਂ ਲੰਘਾ ਦੇਊਂ” ! “ਅਜੇ ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਆ, ਸਾਨੂੰ ਗੁੰਡੇ ਕਿਉਂ ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਓ” ? ਕੋਈ ਪੁੱਛੇ, “ਕੀ ਤੁਹਾਡੀਆਂ ਹੈਨਾਂ ਫੁਕਰੀਆਂ ਨੇ” : “ਚੌਰਾਸੀਵਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ, ਜਿਹੜਾ ਢਾਈ ਲੱਖ ਨੌਜੁਆਨ ਮਰਵਾਇਆ, ਉਹ ਥੋੜਾ ਸੀ” ? “ਕੀ ਟਕਸਾਲ ਨੂੰ ਬਾਦਲਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ, ਸਿੱਖ ਵਿਰੋਧੀ ਕਾਰਵਾਈਆਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਦਿਸ ਰਹੀਆਂ” ? ਖੈਰ, “ਪੂਰੀ ਵੀਡੀਓ ਸੁਣ ਲਓ” ! ਹਰਨੇਕ ਸਿੰਘ ਨਿਊਜੀਲੈਂਡ
Posted by Harnek Singh on Sunday, 20 May 2018
The chief minister, who took suo motu cognizance on the issue, as per the release, has asked the Damdami Taksal not to step out of their religious boundaries and said that he would treat any such acts as a threat to the state’s peace and harmony.
Though all for granting full freedom to religious institutions, Singh said he won’t tolerate the “misuse” of religion to spread terror or score personal brownie points, and warned the Sikh seminary to put an immediate stop to such activities, else he would take it as an act of hostility and act accordingly.
He added that inflammatory speeches and hate crimes had no place in Punjab, a state which he said had already suffered enough at the hands of terrorism.
According to the release, the chief minister has also asked the police to identify and scrutinise the video — in which the Damdami Taksal spokesperson was alleged to have made open threats to Dhadrianwale — and take suitable action against the perpetrators.
In 2016, the cavalcade of Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale was attacked by a group of heavily-armed persons near Ludhiana. Though Dhadrianwale had a miraculous escape, his follower Sant Bhupinder Singh Khalsa had died in the attack.
