Carpenter’s suicide case: Cong blocks road, demands Akali leader’s arrest

Monday, 12/09/2016

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

JALANDHAR: With the city police failing to arrest local Akali leader Bhajan Lal Chopra in the suicide case of carpenter Tilak Raj of Kanshi Nagar on September 8, Congress held a protest against the police and blocked the Jalandhar-Nakodar road at Guru Ravidass Chowk for more than two hours on Sunday.

Congress workers blocking a road at the Ravidass Chowk in Jalandhar on Sunday.

Congress leaders, including district Congress chief (urban) Rajinder Beri, municipal councillors Sushil Rinku and Surinder Kaur and senior Congress leader Seth Satpal Mall, raised slogans against the government and police for not arresting Chopra, who is the SAD Scheduled Caste wing vice-president.

Traffic flow on the road that connects the city with Nakodar and Malwa region remained suspended during the protest. Heavy police force was deployed at the protest site. It was only after additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-2) Amrik Singh Powar assured the protesters of arresting the absconding leader soon, the blockade was lifted.

Accusing the state government of putting pressure on the police, Congress leader Sushil Rinku, who is eyeing the assembly ticket from Jalandhar west, said local MLA and cabinet minister Bhagat Chuni Lal has not even tried to meet the poor family despite residing in the same constituency. He demanded that SAD should expel Chopra from the party with immediate fact.

ADCP Powar said police teams are raiding Chopra’s various possible hideouts and would arrest him soon.

Tilak Raj’s family has not cremated the body yet and given the police Wednesday deadline to nab Chopra. Tilak Raj left a suicide note before consuming poison and named four persons, including Chopra and his sisterin-law Jaswinder Kaur, neighbours Sukhpal Singh and his wife Manjit Kaur.

In the note, he alleged that Akali leader was used to meeting his sister in- law and asked her to not to do so but leader starting threatening him. Kaur had also given a police complaint against Tilak Raj.