Punjab CM responsible for death of Moosewala: Sukhbir Badal

Chandigarh, May 30 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday termed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directly responsible for the death of youth icon Sidhu Moosewala.

It said a case should be registered against Mann for violating the oath of office by releasing confidential information about the withdrawal of the security cover of Moosewala as well as other prominent personalities, including the Jathedar of Akal Takth and political leaders on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) portal.

A SAD delegation headed by its President Sukhbir Singh Badal met Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit in this regard and urged him to dismiss Mann from office.

"The Chief Minister does not deserve to stay in office for even one minute more," Badal said, while demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the killing of Moosewala.

He said this was necessary as Punjabis did not have any faith in the AAP government and that the family of the deceased had also made this request.

The SAD President, who was accompanied by senior leaders, including Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Prem Singh Chandumajra, and Daljit Singh Cheema, also requested the Governor to direct the government to order a judicial probe into the lapses committed in ordering withdrawal of security cover of prominent personalities.

The delegation said this was done unilaterally by the Chief Minister without holding a meeting of the state's security review committee. It also demanded that officers responsible for this lapse should be proceeded against.

The delegation brought told the Governor that the AAP government was "taking the state back into the dark days of anarchy". It said security should be granted on threat perception alone and should not be politicised.

It said in direct contrast the Chief Minister had thrown all rules and regulations aside and was taking decisions on security cover on his whims and fancies.

"We have seen the security cover of Sidhu Moosewala as well as other prominent personalities who are under grave threat being withdrawn even as 80 Punjab Police personnel have been deputed to secure Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal."

The delegation also pointed out that similarly four security vehicles had been granted to AAP MP Raghav Chadha arbitrarily.

Talking to the media after meeting the Governor, Badal said youth icon Moosewala would not have been lost but for the wrong decisions of the AAP government.

He said the Chief Minister had not only taken a unilateral decision to withdraw Moosewala's security but had also advertised this fact on the AAP Facebook page by asserting that this was a victory against VVIP culture.

"This kind of cheap politics is condemnable," he added.