Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Friday, sought the Centre’s intervention in getting Presidential assent for two important pending Bills of the state stipulating harsher punishment for the perpetrators of sacrilege. Mann, who called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his office, said that sacrilege of holy books is a major challenge to the state. It has been felt that the quantum of punishment for sacrilege of holy books as per the existing provisions of Sections 295 and 295-A in the Indian Penal Code are too inadequate. The CM pointed out that the Punjab Assembly had passed “The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, which stipulates punishment up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Srimad Bhagwat Gita, Holy Quran and Holy Bible with the intention to hurt the religious feelings of the people. He said this amendment is in consonance with the principles of secularism enshrined in the Constitution, but these Bills are pending for assent of the President since October, 2018. Mann said Punjab being a border state it is extremely necessary to maintain communal harmony. Hence, he sought the intervention of the Union government in getting early Presidential assent for the said Bills as rigorous punishment is required to deter criminals trying to disturb communal peace and brotherhood in the state. Flagging another important issue, the CM said as per international norms, construction can be made beyond 150 meters of Zero Line but at some places in Punjab, the border security fence is at a large distance away from the Zero Line. Citing an example, he said such a fence under Gurdaspur Sector is about four kilometers away from the International Border. As a huge chunk of farming land lies between the International Border and the existing fence a number of farmers, who have to go across the Border Fence to cultivate this land, face a lot of hardships on a daily basis. The CM said this also enhances the workload of the Border Security Force too. Likewise, he said the government has to pay substantial compensation to these farmers also. Mann urged the Union home minister to explore the possibility of shifting the border fence towards the International Border, wherever possible in the larger interest of farmers without compromising national security. The CM also urged Shah to provide liberal funds to ensure modernization of the state police force for effectively combating the new challenges. He said the need of the hour is to provide ultra modern gadgets and weapons to the state force for checking cross border infiltration and drone attack from across the border. Mann said that this is most important for preserving the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country.

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