New Delhi: Congress MP Manish Tewari, and Punjab ministers Sukhjinder Randhawa and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria met Home Minister Amit Shah in the Parliament House here Monday. The Congress leaders requested Amit Shah to trace the whereabouts of the people ‘missing’ since the tractor parade violence in the national capital January 26.
The Punjab leaders and MLA Raj Kumar Chhabbewal also expressed their concerns over the ‘missing’ youths detained by the Delhi Police. They demanded their early release.
Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab Pratap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo also met the home minister separately. They also tried to find out the whereabouts of the ‘missing youths’ from Punjab. They handed over a memorandum to Shah.
The Punjab government later provided the details of 120 people from the state who have been arrested by Delhi police. Various cases have been registered against them during the tractor parade.
Randhawa and Sarkaria later said that the Punjab government has formed a team of 40 advocates. They have already started their work to get the detained youths released. He said the advocates would meet the arrested persons and their families. They will fight the legal battle for them free of cost.
The ministers said they have also appealed to the Central government for taking a lenient view towards those arrested.
During the meeting, Shah stated that the list of arrested persons has been uploaded on the Home Ministry’s website. He said if the Punjab government provided any other list of ‘missing’ persons, the Centre would leave no stone unturned to find the whereabouts of such persons, informed Randhawa.
On the deadlock between the Centre and farmer unions over farm laws, Randhawa said the home minister stated that the central government is ready for talks. It is waiting for farmers’ response in this regard.
“The chief minister has called an all-party meeting February 2 to evolve a consensus on the way forward on the issue of farm laws. Also the recent developments in Delhi will be discussed,” Randhawa informed.
The Delhi Police has said they have filed over 35 cases and arrested more than 80 people. They have been arrested in connection with the violence and vandalism in the national capital during the tractor parade January 26.
Concerns have been raised in Punjab over some of the youths having gone ‘missing’ after they protested at the Singhu border and participated in the agitations at the Red Fort on Republic Day.