The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has recommended the arrest of Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and other accused within five days in a case concerning alleged derogatory remarks against late former Union Home Minister Buta Singh.
The commission, chaired by Kishor Makwana, directed the concerned authorities to take immediate action in accordance with law and submit the status of the arrests within five days and it also expressed concern over the delay in the investigation and filing of the Action Taken Report (ATR).
The case relates to alleged remarks made by Warring about Buta Singh during an election campaign in Tarn Taran last year, and a complaint was filed by Buta Singh’s son, Sarabjot Singh Sidhu, at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Kapurthala district.
Following the complaint, Warring was booked in November 2025 under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, along with Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with promoting enmity on grounds including religion, race, place of birth, residence or language and the latest direction came during a hearing conducted by the NCSC on Monday.
Punjab Police officials, including DSP Harpreet Singh and DSP Gulzar Singh, appeared before the commission on behalf of the authorities. Petitioner Sarabjot Singh was also present and according to the commission, it had previously raised concerns about the progress of the investigation. During an earlier hearing on May 5, the NCSC had recommended that the investigation be completed within the stipulated period and had sought an Action Taken Report from the authorities, however, during Monday’s hearing, the commission said the required ATR had not been received and it also expressed “serious concern” over the continuing delay in the investigation, arrest of the accused and submission of the report.
The commission has now recommended that the authorities take immediate necessary steps for the arrest of the accused and provide the status of the action taken within five days.
The NCSC has also recommended that the competent authority examine whether officials should be held accountable for the delay in the investigation and arrests and it said that if any investigating officer is found to have wilfully neglected their duty, appropriate departmental action may be considered in accordance with law, including action under Section 4 of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The commission has separately expressed concern over the safety of Sarabjot Singh and it said that he had earlier complained of receiving threatening calls from the alleged accused. The NCSC had previously directed that Sarabjot and his dependents be provided necessary protection under Section 15A of the SC/ST Act.
In its latest proceedings, the commission again recommended immediate and adequate police protection for Sarabjot and his dependents in both Punjab and Delhi.
The NCSC has also sought an ATR on its latest recommendations within 30 days.
Reacting to the development, Warring termed the commission’s direction a case of “political vendetta”. In a post on X, he questioned the timing of the recommendation and said the matter was already sub judice.
Warring also said that Buta Singh’s family was like his own family and claimed that he had already apologised to them and he maintained that he had not made any disrespectful statement about the former Union Home Minister and said he had only mentioned Buta Singh’s name in a particular reference.
