Chandigarh, Jul 29 (PTI) A day after SAD chief Sukhbir Badal cautioned against "indiscriminate" use of the UAPA, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday asserted that there was no question of falsely implicating anyone under the anti-terror law.

The chief minister also said he will do everything under the law as needed to protect the security and integrity of Punjab and of the nation, and the SAD president's “threats” could not deter him from ensuring the safety of his people.

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The Shiromani Akali Dal chief had cautioned Singh against “indiscriminate” use of the UAPA by the state police.

The CM said if there are any specific instances of wrongful arrest or registration of cases by Punjab police under the UAPA, as Badal has claimed, he should send him a list of the same instead of making "unnecessary noise".

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There was no question of falsely implicating anyone, he said, urging Badal to refrain from playing into the hands of separatists by trying to incite the youth against the police force.

Singh reminded Badal that under the SAD-BJP dispensation, over 60 cases under the UAPA were registered in Punjab, of which 19 were in 2010 and 12 in 2017.

Of the 225 people arrested in these cases, 120 were acquitted or discharged, indicating that indiscriminate application of UAPA was done by the Akalis, he said in a statement.

The chief minister lashed out at the SAD chief for trying to “compromise” the interests of Punjab with his politically motivated propaganda against the state police, particularly the DGP, whose professional and secular credentials were above board.

It was shocking that Badal, who was leading a party that claimed to be the custodians of Sikhism, was protesting against the Punjab police's fight against separatist and terrorist activities designed to divide Sikhs on communal lines, Singh said.

Pointing to the increasing attempts by Pakistan's ISI to send terrorists and smuggle weapons into Punjab, Singh said his government was committed to taking necessary steps to protect not just the state but India from these elements.

There were forces bent on destabilising the nation by fomenting trouble and promoting the separatist ideology, he noted, citing the group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

Badal should know that SFJ has been declared an unlawful organisation and its chief Gurpatwant Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Centre, and the police force all states were duty-bound to fight their attempts to subvert national security, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)