Alarmed about the reports of security threats to Sikhs in Shillong, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has decided to rush a four-member team headed by the Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa to Shillong.
The team will make a ground assessment of the situation in the troubled areas and extend all possible help to the Sikh community.
Amarinder Singh has sought Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s cooperation in facilitating the team’s visit and ensuring their access to areas from where the reports of tension were coming in.
The decision to send a team to Shillong was triggered by reports that, despite the Meghalaya Chief Minister’s assurance, the situation was still not under control and had the potential of increasing further.
Amarinder Singh offered all possible help to the Meghalayan Government in ensuring the security of the Dalit Sikhs, whose ancestors were reportedly brought to Shillong during the British era.
The Punjab Chief Minister said if necessary, the Centre should intervene to defuse communal tensions in Shillong. Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called up Amarinder Singh to assure him of the safety of the Sikh community.