Bihar Police waits for Navjot Singh Sidhu for a week; puts notice outside his Punjab home

In absence of Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, almost for a week now, Bihar police have put up a notice outside his residence in Punjab's Amritsar. FIR was lodged against Sidhu under a section Indian Penal Code and section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act after he made objectionable remarks against a community and made vote appeal to the Muslim community during Lok Sabha election campaign last year. 

However, since June 18, two sub-inspectors from Bihar Police have been waiting outside Sidhu's residence for 4-5 hours daily to get his signature on a bail bond paper. But the leader has not received them. SI Janardhan Ram who came from Katihar said, "We came here on June 18. I come here daily since then, but no one receives it. Now I have placed a notice. We used to come here daily and sit for 4 to 5 hours. There was a case against former Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu during the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar for violation of model code of conduct," he said. The Police also said that the leader is required to respond to the notice as soon as he receives it. 

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Sidhu violated COVID-19 norms

On April 18, Navjot Singh Sidhu surfaced in public but made headlines for violating COVID-19 guidelines as he was without mask. In a video posted by him on his page, Jittega Punjab, he was not wearing a mask and his followers were seen touching feet of people while distributing ration.

After his tussle with Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and resigning from his cabinet, Sidhu had resurfaced in February this year, and had released a press note with a picture of him meeting Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi and party's UP general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. 

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Sidhu's polarising remark

Last year in April, during the Lok Sabha election campaign, Sidhu in Bihar's Katihar had appealed to the Muslim voters to vote in unison to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was campaigning for Congress leader Tariq Anwar.

"Do not consider yourself as being in a minority. You constitute the majority here. You are about 64 per cent. Do not fall into the trap laid down by people like Owaisi (president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen). They have been propped up by the BJP," Sidhu had said.

Later, he went on to justify his polarising speech, and said that he was not trying to divide votes, but was only urging the Muslim voters to oust PM Modi. "Was not trying to divide anyone. Was only saying that Muslims need to unite against PM Modi who doesn't have their best interests at heart. I have not received any notice from Election Commission," Sidhu had justified his remark. Soon after district authorities in Katihar had lodged an FIR against the Punjab Congress leader. 

READ | Navjot Singh Sidhu Justifies His Communal Appeal To Voters