Congress seeks all-party meeting on threats to Golden Temple

Amritsar, July 18 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in Punjab and Congress lawmaker Partap Singh Bajwa, on Friday demanded that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann immediately convene an all-party meeting in Amritsar to discuss continuing threats to the Golden Temple through threatening emails.

Speaking after paying obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib, where he was accompanied by Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Sukhwinder Singh Danny Bandala and other Congress leaders, Bajwa said that he met with officials of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The SGPC officials told him that even after one arrest was made, fresh threatening emails have continued to be sent targeting Sri Harmandir Sahib.

“This is no longer an isolated incident, this points to a deep-rooted and sinister conspiracy against Punjab’s peace, communal harmony, and religious institutions. The matter deserves the highest level of seriousness and cannot be brushed aside through routine police action,” Bajwa said.

Bajwa expressed concern that the AAP government not only failed to take the House into confidence during the recent special session on the sacrilege Bill but also deliberately chose to hide the fact that these threats were continuing, even during the Assembly session itself.

“This is not merely a law and order issue; this is about the security of Punjab’s most sacred religious place and the potential threat to social harmony across the state. Why did CM Bhagwant Mann not share this in the Assembly? Why was the House kept in the dark?” Bajwa questioned.

He urged CM Mann to call an all-party meeting in Amritsar to chalk out a united, bipartisan strategy to ensure such nefarious designs are crushed, peace is protected, and the sentiments of Punjabis across communities are respected. Bajwa also warned against any attempt to politicise this serious issue, reminding that Sri Harmandir Sahib belongs to all Punjabis and holds sacred value for millions worldwide.

Meanwhile, Amritsar Police have detained software engineer Shubham Dubey, a resident of Faridabad, in connection with a series of threatening emails sent to blow up the Golden Temple. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told the media that Dubey was taken into custody for questioning.

His laptop and mobile phones have been seized and sent for forensic examination. He said central agencies were also involved in the probe.

--IANS

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