Rajoana Hanging Issue Puts Punjab on High Alert

Protests against the proposed hanging of Balwant Singh Rajoana sentenced to death for killing former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh have put entire Punjab on a high alert. Radical Sikhs outfits Dal Khalsa and Khalsa Action Committee have asked the people to observe a 'bandh' on Wednesday. Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal is also likely to meet President Pratibha Patil in Delhi today in this regard. Referring to today's bandh, the two Sikh groups said "we appeal to a cross section of Punjabi society to close their business establishments, schools, colleges and shops to protest against the hanging that has been fixed for March 31.

Prohibitory orders were clamped and police and paramilitary forces personnel conducted flag marches in parts of Punjab which was on high alert ahead of the proposed Punjab Bandh on Wednesday. Security forces conducted flag march in the state for the third day on Tuesday including in Moga, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana to instill a sense of confidence among the residents.

Activists of some Sikh organisations took out a protest march at some places today and raised slogans in favour of Rajoana and demanded clemency for him. Security around the Central Jail at Patiala, where Rajoana is lodged, has been beefed up by erecting additional security check points and restricting the entry of those going towards the prison side. Official sources said that only persons with bonafide work are being allowed to proceed towards the Central Jail. Rajoana, as per a court order, will be hanged on March 31 at Central Jail Patiala. The SAD-BJP government and the Congress in the state have demanded grant of clemency to Rajoana.

Punjab's DGP Sumedh Singh Saini has directed the district police chiefs to take all preventive and necessary steps to maintain peace. Police have set up special control rooms to monitor the security situation. Extra forces have been deployed around sensitive installations. A few companies of paramilitary forces and of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) have been deployed at Amritsar, Patiala, Batala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and other places. The All India Sikh Students Federation said it will extend its full support to the Punjab Bandh. Trade and industry bodies have appealed to the Punjab government to ensure peace in the state in the wake of various Sikh organisations giving a bandh call in view of the possible execution of Balwant Singh Rajoana.
 

Modi Is Not Our PM: Owaisi

MIM is a recognized state political party based in the Indian state of Telangana, with its head office in the old city of Hyderabad, which has its roots in the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen founded in 1927. Unlike most of the regional and national level parties, MIM party leaders ‘fight’ only for the well-being of Muslims, whereas no other party has such communal feelings. In their each and every speech, MIM leaders speak only about Muslims. If these leaders are here to fight for Muslims, then why there are no development works are happening in old city area for decades. Akbaruddin Owaisi faced criticism for making hate remarks on Narendra Modi and Hindus. Recently, his elder brother Asaduddin Owaisi made some notorious annotations. In a one-on-one debate between BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and Asaduddin Owaisi on the topic of demonetization in a popular Hindi channel, the former left no stone unturned in exposing the latter’s communal designs. Owaisi claimed how most of the Muslim community still remains unbanked and that demonetization has caused severe inconvenience to Muslims. He even went on to say that ATM’s in Muslim-dominated areas weren’t fed enough money. He indirectly alleged that the Modi government hadn’t done anything for Muslims. Even after being pressurized Owaisi didn’t call Narendra Modi as his Prime Minister. He went on said, “Your Prime Minister…” On the other hand, Sambit spoke wisely and called Owaisi a leader of small stature because he talked only of Muslims. He said that no area was Muslim or Hindu and that all areas belonged to India. Owaisi was constantly quoting an RBI report, to which Sambit challenged him to show where the RBI had used the word ‘Muslim’. Sambit even said that if a Muslim leader speaks of Muslims it’s not an issue, but the moment a VHP leader speaks of Hindus people go crazy accusing them of imposing the Hindutva ideology. The most amazing of his counters was to Owaisi’s claims of Muslims not having been brought into the banking system. Sambit said that when banks or ATMs are to be opened in Muslim areas leaders like Owaisi shout that banking is un-Islamic and that Muslims should refrain from it! This video of debate between Sambit Patra and Asaduddin Owaisi is going viral in social media.