New Delhi: Days after Home Minister Amit Shah announced the arrest of 253 operatives of the ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti gang, Bhatti has threatened on social media that he has another 3,000 more men walking the streets.
“Amit Shah tweeted that ‘We have caught more than 200 of Shahzad Bhatti’s associates. That is what is being shown to you, and the media is also broadcasting that but that is not the reality. These are people from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The people who went to Jantar Mantar—your photos and videos were made there as well,” said Bhatti in a social media video. ThePrint could not verify the social media video independently.
Bhatti challenged the Modi-Shah government to show the faces of the alleged associates and the arms seized from them. “I am challenging the Modi government to show the faces of these captured men live on TV, along with the weapons seized from them and where those weapons were manufactured,” said Bhatti.
Taking a jibe at the Indian forces and police network, he said his network has been active for the past 5-6 years. “Why did you have to start this operation just now? Were your agencies and police asleep before this?” he asked.
“If you have arrested 300, I have 3,000 who are roaming the streets freely,” Bhatti added.
He further added that the present dispensation tends to blame everything on Pakistan. “Sometimes you blame Pakistan to get votes; other times, you pit Sikhs against each other to get votes. How much longer can you keep doing this?” Bhatti said.
He also said that before blaming Pakistan for everything, the Indian government should look into its own jails. “First look at the gangsters you have enabled inside your jails. You send these gangsters to Canada and make them kill Sikhs but you have till date uttered not a word because you can’t use that to get votes,” he said.
“I will not step back, I will look into the cases of these men you have arrested and give them legal support even if they are CJP’s men and if CJP needs me they can contact me, I will even back them,” he said.
ThePrint has reached out to the CJP over call and messages. This report will be updated if and when they respond.
Earlier this week, the security agencies had sent the Ministry of Home Affairs a proposal to designate Bhatti as a terrorist. Bhatti has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Explosives Act by the NIA. There are several other cases against him filed by the police of Punjab, Delhi and UP.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Shehzad Bhatti to be designated as terrorist under UAPA, proposal sent to MHA, approval likely soon