Jalandhar: Protest march demanding action against criminal activities linked to migrants

Jalandhar: Social activists, religious leaders, intellectuals, and local residents gathered today at Banga Chowk in Garhshankar for a protest-awareness march, attended by people from various walks of life. The group submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Punjab through the SDM, demanding immediate action against the increasing criminal activities by migrants in the state to protect Punjabi culture, land, environment, and existence. The memorandum included six key demands: Migrants living in Punjab should be issued Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs) based on permanent identity cards from their home states, and identity cards should be issued only after police verification. Gram Panchayats, Nagar Panchayats, Municipal Councils, and Municipal Corporations should maintain records of migrants living in these areas and inform higher authorities.
Rickshaw and handcart drivers should be issued identity cards and token numbers, with the telephone numbers of their identity cards displayed on their vehicles. Rickshaw pullers should be allocated designated spaces outside crowded markets to ensure smooth traffic flow. Property owners who accommodate migrants in their homes, shops, factories, farms, or cars should be held accountable if these migrants commit crimes, to prevent such incidents in the future. The memorandum also demanded the cancellation of illegal votes cast by migrants in Punjab and a complete ban on their voting rights in the future. Furthermore, it demanded the implementation of a domicile law, similar to those in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Nagaland, reserving 90 percent of private and government jobs in Punjab for state residents, and enacting appropriate legislation to legally enforce it.