BJP’s march to CM Mamata Banerjee’s office in Kolkata was stopped by the police.
The party’s leader, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, said police removed the man’s turban as a reminder of the 1984 Sikh violence.
- News18.com Calcutta
- Last update: October 9, 2020 5:34 PM IST
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The arrest of a Sikh for carrying a weapon during the BJP protest rally in Kolkata has sparked outrage after the saffron brigade accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of hurting religious sentiments after Howrah district police allegedly removed him the ‘turban’.
The man identified as Balwinder Singh, 46, is a personal security guard for BJP leader Priyanshu Pandey and is reportedly known to Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh, according to police. Both Balwinder and Priyanshu Pandey were detained for investigation.
BJP National Secretary Arvind Menon condemned the detention of security personnel. “By removing Balwinder Singh’s turban, the West Bengal police have insulted the entire Sikh community. It looks like a Mughal government in Bengal. The insult proved once again that except for one community, no other community has the right to live in Bengal with dignity, “he said in a tweet.
Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga said police removed the man’s turban as a reminder of the 1984 Sikh riots. “The way the Bengal police removed the turban from a Sikh man reminds me of the 1984 genocide. It is regrettable that the Bengal police have insulted the Sikh community that gave its maximum life during the fight for freedom. I think that after this incident, the Mamata government should not be in power, ”he said in a tweet.
The main leader of the BJP, Kailash Vijayvargiya, tweeted: “It is an act of hurting the religious feelings of Sikhs.” Alluding to a minority community, Vijayvargiya in another tweet said: “Do you have the guts to remove your caps? Objectionable to remove the sacred turban from the Sikh man.”
The leader of the Delhi BJP, Impreet Singh Bakshi, also condemned the act and demanded severe action against the police.
Balwinder Singh, a resident of Bhatinda, was detained by police for carrying a loaded pistol during the march called by Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) to Nabanna, the secretary of state on Thursday.
BJP State Chairman Dilip Ghosh also criticized the arrest, saying that the party leader’s security guard was carrying a licensed weapon and that the protests were “peaceful”. “Our workers did not drop bombs. We were holding a peaceful protest. The police used force on us without any provocation,” he was quoted as saying.
However, police officers noted that it was unusual for the man to carry weapons during a protest meeting. “Why would someone attend a protest meeting with their gun? This is the big question and we are looking into it. We felt that it was very unusual for a protester to carry weapons. It was a loaded pistol (.32 caliber) with a range of 18.27 m, “said a senior Howrah police officer.
Police said the license for the recovered pistol was issued in 2009 by the Rajouri District Magistrate in Jammu and Kashmir. However, Singh’s license permit is limited to Rajouri and its use was illegal in Bengal.
“The weapons license was renewed and was valid until 2021. But it was limited to Rajouri and not Bengal. We found it very alarming and appropriate measures will be taken, ”said the policeman.
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