As Punjab continues on the boil, Rajnath Singh calls up CM Badal

CHANDIGARH: Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called up Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badaleven as several major cities remained out of bounds for commuters and protests simmered for the sixth day over sacrilege cases and the Faridkot killing.

"Spoke to CM Shri Prakash Singh Badal (sic), who apprised me of the prevailing situation in Punjab. Assured him of all possible help from the Centre," Rajnath tweeted. He also spoke to Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma. Rajnath called up Badal after BJP's national secretary R P Singh wrote to him seeking immediate intervention. "Punjab is dangerously on the edge," he wrote to Rajnath. "It needs MHA intervention."

According to the state's intelligence wing, protests are on at 162 gurdwaras, 59 key locations on the Amritsar-Delhi national highway and 103 locations on state highways along which trucks routinely ferry commodities such as crude oil, acid and metal.

An intelligence report said that protests are being led by women sarpanchs, head granthis, taxi unions and college students. The report also classified some protests as those led by radicals and religious groups.

Minutes after Rajnath's tweet, Badal announced an emergency cabinet meeting would be held on Tuesday. He also met the Punjab DGP.

Many see these protests as a fallout of Akal Takht's controversial September 24 order that pardoned Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly imitating Guru Gobind Singh in 2007. The takht has revoked the pardon since then but the anger has continued to simmer.