The Punjab Police Friday claimed that in last 24 hours they have received complaints that some people, claiming to be from a particular political party, are collecting personal data of individuals and collecting money from them “in the nature of commissions” to get works done from the government. The police, however, could not give any details of who have made the complaints, how many FIRs have been registered, and how many people arrested.
The claim, in the form of a media statement, came as the police, for a third day, continued to target the facilitation camps set up by the BJP as part of its public outreach programme and detained its workers and leaders including state party chief Sunil Jakhar.
A row has erupted in Punjab with the BJP accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of forcibly stopping its camps at 39 — part of ‘BJP De Sewadar, Aa Gaye Tuhade Dwar’ programme.
The BJP claims they have launched the outreach to ensure that the poor, the scheduled caste community, farmers, youth and women get the benefits of public welfare schemes of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The ruling AAP, on the other hand has flagged data breach concerns while accusing the BJP workers of “illegally” collecting personal details, including Aadhaar number.
A Punjab Police spokesperson said some have also complained that they had given their bank account numbers to the persons who contacted them and that their bank accounts have been emptied subsequently. However the police did not give details of the FIRs lodged against any persons who have been holding the camps and against whom complaints were made, no information was forthcoming. The police also failed to give details about the law under which house arrests and detentions in police stations of several BJP leaders were carried out on Thursday, when the action against the camps began.
