Farmer chief Baldev Singh Sirsa is amongst these summoned for questioning (File)
New Delhi:
Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and farmers’ chief Baldev Singh Sirsa are amongst 40 folks summoned by the Nationwide Investigation Company (NIA) for questioning in a case associated to the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice. The actor, who has backed the farmers protesting in opposition to the centre’s contentious agriculture legal guidelines, has been requested to look earlier than the anti-terrorism company at its Delhi headquarters immediately. The others who’ve been summoned embody officers of non-profit Khalsa Support.
Reacting to the summons, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged the centre was making an attempt to intimidate farmer leaders and people supporting them by way of central businesses.
“Strongly condemn the centre’s makes an attempt to intimidate farmer leaders and supporters of Kisan Andolan (farmers’ protest) by calling them for questioning by NIA and ED (Enforcement Directorate). They are not anti-nationals. And after failure of talks for the ninth time, it is completely clear that GOI (the Authorities of India) is just making an attempt to tire out farmers,” he tweeted on Saturday.
Strongly condemn Centre’s makes an attempt to intimidate farmer leaders & supporters of #KisanAndolan by calling them for questioning by #NIA & ED. They are not anti-nationals. And after failure of talks for the ninth time, it is completely clear that GOI is just making an attempt to tire out farmers. pic.twitter.com/3x5T8VNdph
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 16, 2021
Khalsa Support, which has been supporting the protesting farmers by offering necessities, issued a press release on Saturday, saying it can cooperate with the company.
“We’re deeply involved to be taught of the summons being issued by the NIA to people concerned within the farmers protest, starting from bus drivers to union leaders all have been summoned to look earlier than the NIA, being investigated as being ‘anti-national’ and supporting terrorism. Our Khalsa Support India crew on the bottom have additionally been summoned and are being questioned/investigated…Our crew will cooperate and reply any queries raised by the NIA crew,” it stated.
Sikhs For Justice is a US-based pro-Khalistan group.
1000’s of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been holding protests in opposition to the legal guidelines in and across the nationwide capital for weeks.
In the previous few weeks, a number of BJP leaders have claimed the presence of what they known as anti-national parts among the many protesting farmers.
A number of rounds of centre-farmer talks have failed to finish the impasse. Farmers have repeatedly rejected the centre’s affords of modification to the legal guidelines, insisting on their calls for for repealing the laws and authorized assure for Minimal Assist Worth.
The Supreme Court docket final week placed on maintain the legal guidelines and ordered {that a} panel be fashioned to facilitate decision. The farmers, nonetheless, vowed to proceed their agitation till the legal guidelines are repealed.
