ਪੰਜਾਬ Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa did not appear before the Mohali ਪੁਲਿਸ on Monday after being summoned over a controversial statement he made about bombs in ਪੰਜਾਬ. He said he couldn’t come due to earlier scheduled meetings and has asked to appear on Tuesday after 2 PM.
Bajwa was summoned after he claimed that “50 bombs” had been smuggled into ਪੰਜਾਬ. He said that 18 had already exploded and 30-32 were still left. He also said he had received this warning from his sources and that he is not revealing their names. A case was registered against him on April 13 under sections of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), accusing him of spreading false information that could harm national security.
His lawyer, Pradeep Virk, said the ਪੁਲਿਸ have agreed to let Bajwa appear on Tuesday and have given them a copy of the FIR.
After a Counter-Intelligence team visited his home on Sunday, Bajwa said he was cooperating fully with the ਪੁਲਿਸ and that his only intention was to protect the ਲੋਕ and help the ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders have supported Bajwa and strongly criticized the AAP-led ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ. They say the case is an act of political revenge. Former Health ਮੰਤਰੀ Balbir Singh Sidhu and Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh accused the ਸਰਕਾਰ of misusing power to silence the opposition.
Congress leaders are expected to meet on Tuesday at the Chandigarh Congress Bhawan to discuss the issue further.
