New Delhi: Khalistan supporters based in Canada are heard shouting assassination threats against Punjab CM Amarinder Singh in a series of audio recordings accessed by CNN-News18.
The protesters, in what appear to be open threats to Amarinder, are heard shouting, “Captain, there was a CM from your party called Beant; you had to collect pieces of his body to perform the last rites.” A former Punjab chief minister, Beant Singh, was killed in a car bombing in retaliation for his anti-insurgency operations in Punjab.
Captain Amarinder Singh, “least bothered by these threats”, told CNN-News18 that even if “those fellows shout their heads off in Canada, it doesn’t bother me even the slightest bit.”
“We are very clear in our mind: we want a strong country, we want a stable country, we want a stable Punjab. I want Punjab to be stable so that I can get on with the business of development,” he added.
The sloganeering was not just against the Punjab CM, but also against KPS Gill, the former director general of Punjab Police who is credited with ending insurgency in the state. The audio file, purportedly from a protest march, spews hatred on the former DGP.
Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan, who was recently in India, also found references in the audio. CM Amarinder had denied meeting with Sajjan, saying he was a Khalistani movement sympathiser. Amarinder had, however, ensured the security of the Canadian CM.
“You accused our Defense Minister of being a terrorist. You insulted the Sikhs. We challenge you from this land, we’ll welcome you in such a way that you will never mess with us Sikhs again. You have provoked all Sikhs. We challenge you to come to Canada, ” threats blared out from the audio clip.