Defending the interrogation of four devotees on returning through Kartarpur Sahib corridor, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday made it clear that it was done on the request of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and he would have taken action against the Police officials for not doing that.

“In fact, had the Gurdaspur police failed to cooperate with IB in the wake of security concerns expressed by the latter, I would have taken strict action against them,” said the Chief Minister while responding to the issue raised by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan.

Capt Amarinder said that as the police force of a border state, the Punjab Police works closely with the central or intelligence agencies.

“In all, 51,000 pilgrims have gone there, and this is the first such instance of devotees being questioned. If the IB report says that these four persons be checked…what is wrong…the Punjab police has acted within the permissible limits of functioning in the matter,” said Capt Amarinder.

The Chief Minister’s Statement came a day after the Opposition created a ruckus in the House over the issue. The Opposition, while protesting over the issue on Thursday, had demanded a response from the Chief Minister, besides immediate dismissal and strict action against the state DGP.

“Punjab Government would cooperate with central agencies in the larger interest of the nation's security, as and when required.

If the police force fails to act in accordance with the established security mechanism in coordination with the central agencies, action would be taken against them,” he added.