Bhai Arvinder Singh Raja, Chief Sevadar of Akhand Kirtani Jatha (Delhi), has strongly condemned the brutal suppression of the peaceful march taken out by the National Justice Front by the Punjab Government and the Punjab Police yesterday. He said that the Punjab Police also attacked the march in Mohali and fired tear gas shells where the holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was present, which shows gross disrespect for the religious sentiments of the Sikhs. The government has directly attacked the Sikhs by desecrating the Sikh turbans during the lathi charge on the protesting Sikhs and this action exposes the anti-Sikh and authoritarian nature of the government. The actions taken by the Bhagwant Mann government to suppress the peaceful protests are undemocratic and a gross violation of fundamental rights. In a democracy, every individual and community has the right to protest and raise their voice for their rights without fear of coercion or violence. The government’s attempt to stop the Sikhs from marching by imposing restrictions at various places, resorting to lathicharge, tear gas and brutality against the protesters, shows the authoritarian nature of this government and is a blatant violation of democratic principles that cannot be condemned enough.