Sukhpal Singh Khaira meets families of Amritpal Singh, other NSA detainees lodged in Dibrugarh jail

Amritsar, February 27

Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira today meet the kin of Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh and his aides, lodged in Dibrugarh jail under the NSA, who have been sitting on a dharna demanding the detainees’ transfer to Punjab jail.

Amritpal’s mother Balwinder Kaur and kin of other detainees sat on hunger strike at the Heritage Street near Golden Temple after getting negligible response from the state government to their demand.

They had submitted a demand letter to Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori on February 20 to shift detainees to Punjab. They claim that the detainees too have been observing a fast since February 16, accusing the jail authorities of infringing their privacy by installing surveillance cameras in their barracks and bathrooms without their knowledge.

Khaira assured all kind of assistance to detainees’ family members in this regard. He said it was responsibility of the Punjab Government to resolve the entire issue, but to no avail.

Khaira termed the NSA as a black law and compared it to the martial law imposed during the Jallianwala Bagh incident in which no one was allowed to argue and advocate.

He said except one MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, all other AAP MLAs were shying away from raising their voice and sitting at homes. He said Amritpal and his associates were running a movement against drugs. “Except for the reported incident at Ajnala, there is no such charge against them,” he said.

Akali leader Virsa Singh Valtoha, several leaders of federation factions and many others too have visited the Heritage Street to show solidarity with the detainees’ families.