Punjab Congress on Wednesday urged the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suo motu notice of the SAD-BJP led State Government’s move to tap phones, read e-mails and text messages, monitor social sites on pretext of maintaining security.
Punjab Police on the directions of Home Minister Sukhbir Badal has got sanctioned crores of taxpayer’s money to purchase surveillance equipments in order to keep an eye on Opposition leaders, his own ministers, members of civil society and other important people, alleged Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
“This not only amounts to gross violation of one’s privacy and independence but is a well planned conspiracy to intimidate and muzzle the voice of the people,” he added. Khiara said that Sukhbir Badal and his empowered committee comprising of the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, in the name of setting up a Regional Monitoring Centre (RMC), have actually planned to tap telephones of his political adversaries, keeping an eye on e-mails, text messages and monitor all social networking sites.