Chandigarh, Sep 17 (IANS): The Youth Akali Dal (YAD) on Tuesday held a sit-in protest and broke police barricades and marched to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence here to demand the dismissal of Education Minister Harjot Bains and suspension of his IPS wife Jyoti Yadav in the alleged Rs100 crore cyber scam.

The activists, who were led by YAD President Sarabjeet Singh Jhinjher, were taken into preventive custody even as the Chief Minister refused to meet them.

Speaking on the occasion, the YAD President said, “We have made it clear that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has been established to probe the Rs100 crore cyber scam in which serious aspersions have been cast against Harjot Bains and his wife Jyoti Yadav, is an eyewash. No police officer can probe the role of a minister. We have demanded that the government institute a High Court-monitored probe into the case as well as an Enforcement Directorate (ED) enquiry to ascertain money laundering allegations.”

Asserting that the activists were forced to take out the march as the Chief Minister was not taking any action in the case, Jhinjher said, “In case the government continues to shield Harjot Bains and his wife, the YAD will ‘gherao’ the Chief Minister and all ministers during their official tours in Punjab.”

Stating that the Chief Minister was running away from facing the youth of Punjab, Jhinjher said, “We are not terrorists. We have come to your door to demand due action in the Rs100 crore cyber scam.

“We have also come to tell you how the youth are dying every day due to drug overdose and how your ministers and legislators are in league with drug smugglers and preventing the police from taking action against the drug mafia.”

With police not letting the YAD activists approach the Chief Minister’s residence they tried to break the police cordon and even sat down on the road and raised slogans against the AAP government and the Chief Minister. They were subsequently taken into preventive custody.