Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Bittu, publicly urged the authorities to grant interim parole to jailed Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh. The MP from Sri Khadoor Sahib currently sits in Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Bittu told journalists that Amritpal contested and won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Sri Khadoor Sahib as an independent candidate despite his detention. In June 2024, officials allowed him a four-hour parole to take oath as an MP in New Delhi, during which he reaffirmed his stance on โKhalsa Raj.โ
Bittu voiced his support for interim parole as the Winter Session of Parliamentโstarting December 1โfaced rising tensions over regional issues, including farmersโ protests and Punjabโs law-and-order situation. Chandigarh Punjab News sources report that he emphasized the need for elected representatives to participate in parliamentary debates.
Bittu accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of deliberately blocking Singhโs parole request. He compared the situation with Baramulla MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh (Engineer Rashid) and asked why Punjab authorities denied parole to a duly elected MP.
Bittu said, โIf an MP from Jammu & Kashmir like Engineer Rashid, facing serious charges, can attend parliamentary sessions on custody parole, why canโt Amritpal Singh get the same facility? Who will represent the people of Khadoor Sahib in Parliament if their elected MP cannot attend?โ
He added that Rashid attends sessions on interim bail while authorities refuse the same for Amritpal Singh. Chandigarh Punjab News confirms that this issue has sparked public debate and concern in Punjab.
