Hamdard seeks 10 days’ time from vigilance bureau

Jalandhar: Punjabi media baron Barjinder Singh Hamdard, managing editor of Punjabi daily Ajit, did not appear before vigilance bureau on Monday and sent a communique seeking 10 days’ time. However, VB officials have not yet conveyed the next date of his appearance. He was earlier sent a notice by the VB SSP in Jalandhar, asking him to come to the bureau office on Monday in connection with the Jang E Azadi Memorial investigation.The issue is also snowballing into a major political controversy as opposition parties have rallied behind Hamdard and several of their leaders have issued statements to support him. Punjab Congress has already given a call to all parties and other organizations to gather at Ajit’s office on June 1. Different farm groups have also criticised the VB move.Hamdard was sent a notice by the VB in connection with investigation in Jang E Azadi Memorial at Kartarpur, with which he was associated as secretary of the foundation from its inception and also headed the managing committee to run its affairs.On Monday, it condemned the Punjab government’s recent actions to muzzle the freedom of the press. The state party leaders, who met in Delhi to deliberate upon the development in Punjab, unanimously condemned the misuse of state instrumentalities by the AAP government in Punjab and decided to meet Hamdard at his office in Jalandhar on June 1.Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the AAP has failed in fulfilling its poll promises and was using government machinery to threaten and harass journalists by raiding newsrooms and censoring news stories. The party’s dictatorial face has been exposed as it has been selectively targeting independent institutions to silence constructive criticism and dissent against the ruling government, he added.Leader of opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa said the state government tyranny can be gauged from certain occurrences in the state. “The AAP government lodged repeated forged FIRs against the Congress MLAs and other Congress leaders. It did n'o even spare the local Congress workers, sarpanches and panches supporting the Congress party and threatened them with dire consequences,” he said.