No laxity on premature release of prisoners: Punjab DGP

Punjab Police DGP S S Saini today said a lot of "disinformation and wrong information" is being circulated over the issue of premature release of prisoners even as he maintained that no laxity would be permitted on issues of peace and communal harmony.
Speaking at a news conference here, the DGP said Punjab Police recently went to places outside the state, including foreign countries, to nab wanted persons accused in targeted killings carried out in the past in different parts of Punjab including Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur "at the behest of their ISI mentors with a view to creating communal tension and violence, etc".

He said in recent times there have been activities which have the potential "to disrupt harmony and these are required to be appropriately addressed."
In this regard, he cited the example of a 70-year-old radical Sikh Surat Singh who has been on an indefinite fast in Ludhiana for the past nearly 40 days, demanding release of 82 persons lodged in the jails.
Despite efforts by Jagraon SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar and other senior officials of Ludhiana civil administration to persuade Singh to end the fast, he has remained adamant over his demand, the DGP said.
Saini said Singh has been eating very little, that includes, "...Diet Coke, desi ghee, Bournvita milk and lemon water. Over two weeks back, he was shifted to hospital, but he has not ended his fast and his health condition is not very good, as per the doctors".

Saini also sought to clarify that the police or administration was not following any "appeasement policy" with respect to Singh by urging him umpteen times to end his fast, saying they would do so in case of any individual.

"Any citizen, who is agitating, whether for right or wrong reason, an effort is made to understand their problem and to find a solution for it," he said, adding but any activity "which infringes on harmony cannot be permitted".
Also getting the facts straight with respect to Singh's demand, the DGP said of the 82 prisoners 25 are still under trial and have not been sentenced any punishment.

Further, he said, these 25 under trials in the "circulated list of 82" include Harminder Singh alias Mintoo, Khalistan Liberation Force chief Jagtar Singh Tara (KTF chief), Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi and Ramandeep Singh alias Goldy who were recently nabbed from Thailand and Malaysia.
The list also includes Rattandeep Singh (BTKF chief) recently arrested from Uttar Pradesh, he said.
"It is not possible to consider any demand for release of such elements," he said.
The DGP added that 16 persons in the list are those who have been awarded imprisonment lesser than life.