Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, January 18 – Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal has urged the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to immediately send a team to US to bring justice to the victims of Panama boat tragedy and expose the human-trafficking racket.
Mr. Badal today had a telephonic talk with the Union External Affairs Minister; Sushma Swaraj who assured that the government would reach out to the victims immediately. He said that Punjab Government is also sending senior officials from State to US to trace out the survivors of the tragedy.
Mr. Badal said that the report that as many as 25 youths from Punjab were feared dead as the boat in which they were travelling capsized near Panama is alarming. The youths were reportedly headed to the US illegally in a boat when the incident occurred. The incident occurred on January 10 and the parents of the youths got to know about it onJanuary 12-13. Deputy CM said that the incident took place at sea between the Colombian port city of Turbo and neighbouring South American country Panama.
The Deputy CM has directed the Director General of Police and SSP Kapurthala to take action against travel agents involved in human trafficking. Kapurthala Police has registered a case under Sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various sections of the Immigration
Act against the travel agents. The travel agents would be interrogated to know how many youths were on the boat.
