Malvinder Singh Mali Arrested by Punjab Police of Bhagwant Mann Govt for Social Media Post
Malvinder Singh Mali Arrested by Punjab Police of Bhagwant Mann Govt for Social Media Post
The human rights situation has been going from bad to worse in Punjab under CM Bhagwant Mann’s regime.
ਮਲਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਾਲੀ ਨੂੰ ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਨੇ ਸੋਸ਼ਲ ਮੀਡੀਆ ਪੋਸਟ ਲਈ ਗਿਰਫਤਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ
मलविंदर सिंह माली को भगवंत मान सरकार की पंजाब पुलिस ने सोशल मीडिया पोस्ट के लिए गिरफ्तार किया
By Rakesh Raman
A social activist Malvinder Singh Mali has been arrested and sent to judicial custody until October 1 for a social media post that allegedly criticized Punjab Government and state chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann.
A September 17 report of The Tribune claims that Mali was arrested by Punjab Police for posting ‘defamatory’ content against Bhagwant Mann on social media and a case under the IT Act has been registered against him.
A Hindustan Times report of September 17, however, reveals that Mali was arrested from Patiala on September 16 for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments. It adds that he has been booked under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023).
[ ਵੀਡੀਓ: ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਮਾਲਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਾਲੀ ਦੀ ਗ੍ਰਿਫਤਾਰੀ ਮਨੁੱਖੀ ਅਧਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਉਲੰਘਣਾ ਹੈ। ]
Mali is also described as a former political advisor to Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is not active in politics these days. The Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi with his tweet condemned Mali’s arrest, which he said, was made on “flimsy” grounds. Gandhi also demanded his immediate release.
[ Video: ਕੀ 2027 ‘ਚ ਨਵਜੋਤ ਸਿੱਧੂ ਹੋਣਗੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਅਗਲੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ? ]
Videos circulating on social media show Mali was being mistreated by callous Punjab Police men at the time of his arrest. It is learnt from a video posted on Twitter that the Mohali court has sent Mali to judicial custody.
As the police-politician nexus is responsible for the increasing crimes in Punjab, complicit policemen are being deployed by the Bhagwant Mann government to terrorize people who criticize his government.
The Punjab Government is also taking extreme tyrannical steps to persecute Sikh activists in the state. A Punjab social activist Amritpal Singh, for example, was arrested and sent to Dibrugarh jail of Assam under the draconian National Security Act (NSA), which is also being misused to extend his incarceration.
[ Also Read: UN Human Rights Petition to Get Amritpal Singh, Umar Khalid, and Engineer Rashid Released from Jail ]
The human rights situation has been going from bad to worse in Punjab under CM Bhagwant Mann’s regime. Last year (2023), U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) expressed deep concern over increasing human rights violations in the Indian state Punjab, which has a large number of people belonging to the Sikh minority community.
[ Also Read: ‘ਕਾਲਾ ਪਾਣੀ ਮੋਰਚਾ’ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ‘ਚ ਦੂਸ਼ਿਤ ਬੁੱਢੇ ਨਾਲੇ ਖਿਲਾਫ ਰੋਸ ਪ੍ਰਦਰਸ਼ਨ ]
Ms. Omar urged the U.S. administration to protect the human rights of all, particularly the rights of all religious and ethnic minorities. In a statement released on March 30, 2023, Rep. Omar – who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives – said that she is profoundly concerned about the human rights situation in Punjab, India.
Meanwhile, politicians of different political parties in Punjab are condemning the dictatorial actions of Bhagwant Mann government and demand Mali’s release.
Photo / Video courtesy: Social Media
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
