Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa sought time till Tuesday to appear before police in connection with an FIR registered against him over his "50 bombs have reached Punjab" claims, even as senior party leaders backed him and alleged he was a victim of "political vendetta". The Punjab Congress has also decided to hold a protest on Tuesday against the registration of the FIR against Bajwa, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly.
"Instead of taking this information seriously and ensuring the safety of the public, the Punjab government is trying to put him in the dock," said a leader.
Bajwa was quizzed over his "50 bombs have reached Punjab" statement and then booked on charges including misleading information that endangers the country's sovereignty and unity.
The case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Mohali.
The FIR was filed against Bajwa under Sections 197(1)(d) (false and misleading information that endangers country's sovereignty and unity) and 353(2) (false statements intend to create enmity and hatred or ill will) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police issued a summons to the Congress leader, asking him to appear before the Mohali Superintendent of Police on Monday noon.
Through his counsel, Bajwa expressed his inability to appear on Monday, saying he received the summons late on Sunday night. Bajwa sought time till Tuesday to appear, said his counsel.
While referring to Bajwa claims of "50 grenades reached Punjab", the FIR stated that he intended to disturb public peace and tranquillity, thereby, creating a sense of fear, ill-will, and enmity among different communities by making such a statement.
This interview appears to have been given intentionally to create disharmony by spreading false and misleading information that jeopardises public peace, unity, and integrity, said the FIR.
Bajwa was provided with a copy of the FIR after he moved a Mohali court.
Meanwhile, several senior Congress leaders came out in support of Bajwa and attacked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for registration of a case against the LoP.
Bajwa said he was thankful to each one of those who stood by him in this battle against "dictatorship". "Your courage and solidarity mean everything," he said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary and the AICC in-charge for Punjab, Bhupesh Bhagel hit out at the AAP government for registering an FIR against Bajwa.
"Explosions, murders and many incidents that tear apart the law have become common under the Aam Aadmi Party government. Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa has made public the information about the presence of hand grenades in Punjab.
"Instead of taking this information seriously and ensuring the safety of the public, the Punjab government is trying to put him in the dock. Punjab is a border state. The government should take every input seriously and ensure safety of life and property.
"We all are with Partap Singh Bajwa ji for the protection of the country, Punjab and Punjabiyat," Baghel said in a post on X.
Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri called the registration of the FIR against Bajwa as "harassment to throttle the voice of opposition".
Bajwa himself is a survivor of terrorism and his family has suffered loss due to terrorism, he said. "Nobody can doubt the integrity and patriotism of this family. We stand strongly with Shri Bajwa and the caravan of democracy will go forward," said Agnihotri in a post on X.
Coming out in support of Bajwa, Congress MP from Chandigarh Manish Tewari said, "The Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha @Partap_SBajwa is a senior and experienced political leader with over five decades of service to Punjab and the country."
"He lost his late father Sardar Satnam Singh Bajwa in a terrorist attack on 10 th July 1987. Both as the President of @PBYouthCongress in the early 1980's and then throughout that tumultuous decade and a half in Punjab he was in the forefront of the battle to preserve, protect and defend the unity and integrity of India. He was himself targeted by terrorists in 1990 in Batala.
"Registration of an FIR against him is over the top. The government should have engaged with him constructively to find out his concerns. In a Democracy, we must talk to each other rather than at each other," said Tewari in a post on X.
Senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the Congress will not be "intimidated by this vindictiveness."
Randhawa said the FIR against Bajwa was filed "purely out of political and personal vendetta".
"But no worries, Congress will not be intimidated by this vindictiveness," said Randhawa in a post on X.
Congress MP from Patiala Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, in a post on X, said, "Registering an FIR against LoP @Partap_Sbajwa for a statement already in the newspapers for days shows CM @BhagwantMann's desperation to gag the opposition.
"We stand with our LoP. You can't intimidate us for raising Punjab's issues."
"Instead of taking this information seriously and ensuring the safety of the public, the Punjab government is trying to put him in the dock," said a leader.
Bajwa was quizzed over his "50 bombs have reached Punjab" statement and then booked on charges including misleading information that endangers the country's sovereignty and unity.
The case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Mohali.
The FIR was filed against Bajwa under Sections 197(1)(d) (false and misleading information that endangers country's sovereignty and unity) and 353(2) (false statements intend to create enmity and hatred or ill will) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police issued a summons to the Congress leader, asking him to appear before the Mohali Superintendent of Police on Monday noon.
Through his counsel, Bajwa expressed his inability to appear on Monday, saying he received the summons late on Sunday night. Bajwa sought time till Tuesday to appear, said his counsel.
While referring to Bajwa claims of "50 grenades reached Punjab", the FIR stated that he intended to disturb public peace and tranquillity, thereby, creating a sense of fear, ill-will, and enmity among different communities by making such a statement.
This interview appears to have been given intentionally to create disharmony by spreading false and misleading information that jeopardises public peace, unity, and integrity, said the FIR.
Bajwa was provided with a copy of the FIR after he moved a Mohali court.
Meanwhile, several senior Congress leaders came out in support of Bajwa and attacked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for registration of a case against the LoP.
Bajwa said he was thankful to each one of those who stood by him in this battle against "dictatorship". "Your courage and solidarity mean everything," he said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary and the AICC in-charge for Punjab, Bhupesh Bhagel hit out at the AAP government for registering an FIR against Bajwa.
"Explosions, murders and many incidents that tear apart the law have become common under the Aam Aadmi Party government. Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa has made public the information about the presence of hand grenades in Punjab.
"Instead of taking this information seriously and ensuring the safety of the public, the Punjab government is trying to put him in the dock. Punjab is a border state. The government should take every input seriously and ensure safety of life and property.
"We all are with Partap Singh Bajwa ji for the protection of the country, Punjab and Punjabiyat," Baghel said in a post on X.
Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri called the registration of the FIR against Bajwa as "harassment to throttle the voice of opposition".
Bajwa himself is a survivor of terrorism and his family has suffered loss due to terrorism, he said. "Nobody can doubt the integrity and patriotism of this family. We stand strongly with Shri Bajwa and the caravan of democracy will go forward," said Agnihotri in a post on X.
Coming out in support of Bajwa, Congress MP from Chandigarh Manish Tewari said, "The Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha @Partap_SBajwa is a senior and experienced political leader with over five decades of service to Punjab and the country."
"He lost his late father Sardar Satnam Singh Bajwa in a terrorist attack on 10 th July 1987. Both as the President of @PBYouthCongress in the early 1980's and then throughout that tumultuous decade and a half in Punjab he was in the forefront of the battle to preserve, protect and defend the unity and integrity of India. He was himself targeted by terrorists in 1990 in Batala.
"Registration of an FIR against him is over the top. The government should have engaged with him constructively to find out his concerns. In a Democracy, we must talk to each other rather than at each other," said Tewari in a post on X.
Senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the Congress will not be "intimidated by this vindictiveness."
Randhawa said the FIR against Bajwa was filed "purely out of political and personal vendetta".
"But no worries, Congress will not be intimidated by this vindictiveness," said Randhawa in a post on X.
Congress MP from Patiala Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, in a post on X, said, "Registering an FIR against LoP @Partap_Sbajwa for a statement already in the newspapers for days shows CM @BhagwantMann's desperation to gag the opposition.
"We stand with our LoP. You can't intimidate us for raising Punjab's issues."
