Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday downplayed an alleged threat made by a pro-Khalistani leader demanding members of the hardline group 'Waris Punjab De' (WPD), including its leader Amritpal Singh, be moved from the Central Jail in Dibrugarh to Amritsar.
"Why do you think that Khalistanis are such a threat? The threat was for me, yet it seemed like you were more afraid," CM Sarma told reporters. The alleged threat was conveyed to the journalists' cell phones through recorded messages from someone claiming to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of banned outfit “Sikhs for Justice".
The message threatened Sarma with "consequences" if he does not order the transfer of Amritpal Singh and his aides to the Amritsar jail from Dibrugarh. It further stated that "Sikhs for Justice" is bringing a case against India before the UN.
Ten members of the pro-Khalistani group, including Amritpal and one of his uncles, were apprehended from different regions of Punjab as part of a crackdown on the group, and they were lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail since March last year under the National Security Act (NSA). The Assam Chief Minister received similar threats in April last year from the same banned outfit and the state police opened an investigation into the matter.
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