Foreign hand in Punjab tension, says Harsimrat

The Union Minister, while appealing for calm and peace, said that no external force will be allowed to disrupt and harm the social fabric of Punjab and added that the arrests made in the case have indicated foreign involvement.

“I have appealed to people to maintain calm and peace. The social fabric of Punjab must not be harmed. The culprits have been caught. A clear foreign hand has been indicated. The government is taking all the necessary steps to ensure that the goodwill and the peace that people have for each other in Punjab...no external force will be allowed to disrupt it,” Badal said.

Tension prevails in Punjab after a series of incidents of sacrilege of ‘birs’ (scriptures) of Guru Granth Sahib at different gurudwaras in villages and the ensuing protests over the issue by Sikh activists, including hardliners. 

“We have worked hard to achieve this (goodwill). The government is going to ensure that no one is able to destabilize the state. “We have taken all measures and we are going to expose those foreign hands which have been working to do this. They are going to be brought in front of the country,” she added. The government has deployed paramilitary forces in the state which carried out flag marches amid continuing agitation by activists of Sikh groups.