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CHANDIGARH/LUDHIANA: The AAP-run govt successful Punjab is facing terrible flak from absorption parties and the media fraternity aft a shocking determination by Punjab Police to clasp up paper transportation vehicles successful respective parts of the authorities successful the aboriginal hours of Sunday.Leaders of absorption parties linked the searches to the caller 'Sheesh Mahal reports' and pointed retired that specified a happening had ne'er happened successful Punjab adjacent during Emergency and the acheronian days of militancy. Chandigarh Press Club condemned the constabulary enactment successful the "strongest terms" and said, "Such actions are seen arsenic an onslaught connected Press state and an effort to power the escaped travel of accusation done authorities machinery.
"Newspapers could not beryllium delivered successful galore areas due to the fact that of this, leaving readers miffed. In others, it was severely delayed. Several readers called up vendors and paper offices to inquire wherefore they hadn't got their day's copy.Police were vague astir the reasons for the 'searches', variously saying that they had inputs astir explosives / arms / drugs being smuggled successful a paper vehicle. Later, Punjab Police issued a connection to accidental that "various kinds of commercialized vehicles" were searched pursuing "intelligence inputs" that drugs and weapons were smuggled successful connivance with specified drivers.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav declined calls from TOI. Special DGP Arpit Shukla said implicit the phone, "I person travel to cognize that the searches were carried retired pursuing inputs that drivers of the vehicles whitethorn person connived to smuggle drugs and amerciable weapons."The coordinated constabulary enactment started astir 4am connected Sunday conscionable erstwhile vehicles carrying newspapers began leaving presses. Several drivers told TOI that their phones were taken away.
It wasn't until aft 6am that constabulary began releasing the vehicles. Some were detained till aft 8am, arsenic with TOI's conveyance successful Amritsar. These copies could not beryllium distributed.A operator who was detained told TOI: "I reached determination astatine 4am and was allowed to spell lone astatine 6:06am. No searches were carried out. One of the cops said 8am was the ultimatum to merchandise the vehicle, but someway they released it early."There was chaos and uncertainty erstwhile paper managements could not interaction their drivers for implicit 2 hours, not realising that their phones had been taken away. It's lone aft constabulary were flooded by calls from reporters from each media houses that the vehicles were released. Punjab BJP moving president Ashwani Sharma was scathing connected the AAP-led govt, posting connected X: "Undeclared exigency by main curate Bhagwant Mann successful Punjab! AAP govt rattled by 'Sheesh Mahal' reports, attacks the media."
