Chandigarh: Punjab government has decided to meet ‘AISSF’s call for Rasta Roko (Traffic Jam) on January 10 with extreme stringency and severity. Ata meeting of the State’s senior Home department officers and district superintendents of police, S. Surjt Singh Barnala declared that if AlSSF’s worker consider government’s lenient attitude towards them            during the past months as weakness of the government, then, they are mistaken, He said that the state government would maintain law and order at all costs and nobody will be allowed to disturb it. He assured the people that government would try to run the transport services as per schedule, The meeting of District Jathedar’s and members of Parliamentary party have passed a very strongly worded resolution amounting to declaration of war against ALSS.F and Dam Dami Taksal. They declared that they ‘will not permit the Blockade of traffic and will also not permit the AISSF to hold Sarbat Khalsa Convention and KarSewa of Akal Takhat which amounts to a challenge to the authority of S.G.P.C,

Barnala and Balwant Singh after ‘meeting Aurn Nehru came straight to the meeting, At the same time he has invited A.I.S.S.F for talks. All India Sikh Students Federation has given a Rasta Roko call to press their demands for the release of Sikh youth and general amnesty for Sikh army personnel who had left their barracks in protest against the army attack on the Golden Temple. In a statement issued by the Federation it has been alleged that the process of arresting Sikh youths has already started and Sikh army deserters are being. sentenced to long. prison terms even after the formation of Akali Ministry. The statement also alleged that instead of helping the Sikh youth, the government is resorting to mass arrests of youths,

It has also been learnt that Punjab Chief Minister S. Suit Singh Barnala and Finance Minister Balwant Singh had a meeting with Arun Nehru, Central Minister for Internal Security, who assured them full central cooperation in dealing effectively with the law and order situation in Punjab. For this purpose Punjab government has requested the center for SO more buses. 32 CRPF units that were sent to Assam to cover elections there, have also come back to Punjab. Balwant Singh also discussed the matter with Prime Minister Rajiv Ganhi, On their return to Chandigarh they attended a specially called meeting of the Akali Jathedars and members of the Parliamentary board. The meeting, through a resolution, accused the AISSF for trying to create hurdles in the way of the government in order to defame it and for hatching conspiracies to topple it. The resolution said that AISSF wanted to forcibly control SGPC and occupy Gurdwaras and charged that the sole purpose of calling Sarbat Khalsa convention

‘on January 26 was to remove the ‘Akal Takht Chief Jathedar Kirpal Singh, It was also said that the Sarbat Khalsa Convention had no meaning as the repair of Akal Takht was the exclusive jurisdiction of the SGPC.

‘Addressing the officers after the meeting, the Chief Minister said that for laxity on the part of any officer would be seriously viewed. Tt has been reliably learnt that instructions have gone to the district authorities to arrest. senior members of AISSF, Damdami Taksaal and United Akali Dal and that none was to be released before

January 27 as the dismantling of government repaired Akal Takht is to start on the evening of January 26, SGPC had earlier announced that ‘Kar Sewa of Akal Takht would commence from January 28. Elaborate security arrangements are being made in Amritsar in view of the tense situation and likely confrontation. Plain clothed policemen have been posted inside the Golden Temple also.

The state government is also worried at the deteriorating law and order situation as nearly half dozen persons have died and a dozen have been injured in various incidents of violence in the state. Two died on 4th and three on 5th of January, 1986.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 10, 1986