Sunny Goodwill: I am still YAD’s senior vice president

Saturday, 05/01/2013

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=59279&boxid=59142&uid=&dat=2013-01-05

Ludhiana : Belying party supremo Sukhbir Singh Badal and Youth Akali Dal president Bikram Majithia’s statements describing him as “expelled” leader of party’s youth wing, the main accused in AIG assault case Maninderpal Singh Johar alias Sunny Goodwill on Friday claimed that he continues to be an “active member” and senior vice president of YAD.

Talking to reporters here at civil hospital, where he was brought from jail after he complained “uneasiness , Johar said that records of meetings and party rallies were enough to prove his point. “I am still vice president of YAD. The claims of some people who say that I was expelled are baseless. It is on record and I was attending all the meetings and rallies of YAD and SAD as senior vice president of YAD till recently”, he said.

Speaking to media men for the first time after he raked up a controversy for “thrashing” PPS officer SS Mand, Johar said Mand was his “close friend” and he had “no enmity” with him.

“ I had no wrong intentions for him. He was my closest friend, he is and always will be. Infact, Mand was over-drunk and had gone out of senses. So when we had a scuffle with NRI Paramjit, Mand sought to intervene but lost his balance and fell down and sustained fracture”, Johar claimed, while repeatedly insisting on “his close friendship” with the officer.

And the officer, he added, proved the friendship by uttering not a single word against me. “I will never forget it,” he said.

Sunny alleged physical torture by the police stating , ‘The police applied third degree on me and it is an open secret”. He, however, refused to name the police officers, whom he charged of using third degree on him. “On the day of incident, we had a scuffle with NRI Paramjit Singh and not with SS Mand. He had come between two parties to stop the scuffle and was pushed accidently”, he explained.

Talking about allegations of land grab Sunny claimed that he had purchased the land, where The HUB restro bar was constructed through proper channel and had paid money to NRI Hardyal Singh Hundal in England. “I visited there twice and paid money of his share in the property in front of attorney of the concerned area in England. His allegations of grabbing of property are baseless and he is telling lies,” he claimed adding that he had all proofs of paying of money and documents of purchasing of the land. He claimed that at the time of scuffle, NRI Paramjit Singh was carrying firearms despite ban orders under section 144. “He took out his pistol and pointed at me which triggred scuffle”, he claimed. He said he would ask police to take action against Paramjit Singh. He also demanded an inquiry into fact that being an NRI, how Paramjit Singh managed to procure the firearm?

Meanwhile, Sunny Goodwill was brought to civil hospital on Thursday night after he complained of severe pain in his right leg. He was discharged from the hospital at 7 pm. But again, he complained of chest-pain and was taken back to the hospital. After all efforts to put stay at hospital proved futile he was finally sent to jail at around 9.40 pm.