Amritsar, April 16
Three Punjabi Sikh youths, who had left country illegally and arrived along with a Sikh jatha by a special train at Attari, were arrested and booked by General Railway Police for illegally entering India.
The youths — Avtar Singh, Jagminder Singh and Balbir Chand — were booked under Sections 3, 34 and 20 of the Indian Passport Act. Mr Harpal Singh Bhullar, president of the Vishav Bhai Mardana Yaadgari Kirtan Darbar Society, who was instrumental in bringing them back to India, condemned the police action and the tough stand taken by the immigration authorities. He urged the immigration authorities to withdraw the case against them.
Posing as ‘langar’ volunteers, the three youths yesterday caught the special train for the Sikh jatha, which had gone to Pakistan for Baisakhi celebrations, and locked themselves in the toilets of the train. They had gone in search of green pastures to Lebanon five years ago. Bogus travel agents had duped them of lakhs. Promising to take them to Greece, the agents had taken them to Turkey, where they were nabbed. They were pushed into Iran, from where they were pushed into Pakistan.
Mr Bhullar termed the registration of cases against the youths as unfortunate. He said he had earlier brought 12 youths in June 2000, who had later been released after reports from police stations concerned and clarifications from panchayats. He said in 2001 he brought 14 youths and no action was taken against them. The youths were presented in the court of the Judicial Magistrate, First Class. They were sent to one-day police remand.
