Punjab CM withdraws attempt to murder charge against protesters

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ordered withdrawal of charges under Indian Penal Code's Section 307 (attempt to murder) against farm laws protesters who dumped cow dung outside an ex-BJP minister's house.

Amarinder Singh, who also holds the Home portfolio, has also ordered transfer of the Station House Officer (SHO), who had registered the "attempt to murder" case, which is now being probed by a Special Investigative Team (SIT).

The Chief Minister said the SHO had gone overboard in registering a case under Section 307. "There was no attempt to murder," he said, referring to the Hoshiarpur incident, in which a group of protestors had unloaded a trolley full of cow dung in front of former Punjab minister Tikshan Sud's residence.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has termed as correct and justified the arrest of Punjabi singer Shree Brar for promoting gun culture in a music video.

Promoting gangsterism and gun culture in this manner was absolutely wrong, he said, adding that the case had been registered correctly in the matter which related to an old song of the singer.

Amarinder Singh made it clear that the arrest had no connect with the singer's video in support of the protesting farmers, which in fact was appreciable.

However, his good work now could not condone the negative impact of his old song encouraging youth to pick up guns, he said.

Noting that Punjab was a border state facing ongoing threats from across the border, the Chief Minister said "we will not allow the state's peace to be disturbed in any manner", which such acts had the potential to do.