Bajwa demands judicial probe into assault on lawyer

Thursday, 15/05/2014

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Amritsar : Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Pratap Singh Bajwa has demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court to inquire into the murderous assault on Amritsar lawyer Vineet Mahajan and framing of his friend Sandeep Gorsi in attempt to murder case, both of whom had lodged a complaint of ‘dual voting’ against state Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi and several members of his family.

Bajwa on Wednesday met Mahajan and his family members in the hospital to inquire about his health and assured him that Congress would continue its agitation in one form or the other till action was taken against Joshi for his culpability in the attack. He also demanded immediate dismissal of Joshi from the Cabinet. He said it was appalling that such a person continued to be member of the Parkash Singh Badal-led Cabinet.

He lambasted the senior BJP leader and party candidate from Amritsar Arun Jaitley, who did not feel it necessary to meet the two victims who were also members of his legal fraternity.

In a letter to the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Bajwa, while calling for time-bound judicial investigation, rejected the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) as he had no faith in the Punjab police. “All investigations conducted by the police or its constituted SIT are a charade to shield and cover up their political masters,” he added.

He pointed out that both the lawyers had sought to use due process of law to bring to light grave miscarriage of justice that related to dual voting resorted to by Joshi and his family members.

Bajwa said that what was all the more outrageous was that one of the two lawyers who had dragged Joshi to the court was framed in a attempt to murder charge by the state police and the other was assaulted and seriously injured by the henchmen of the minister.

“That both victims are affiliated with Congress is clearly no coincidence and the vicious attack on Mahajan rings loud with echoes of the reign of terror Mussolini’s Black Shirts unleashed in fascist Italy. This is vendetta politics of the worst sort, looking to silence and intimidate anyone who gathered the courage to speak out,” he added.

He said that Rakesh Bhardwaj, the complainant against Gorsi, was a confidante of Joshi. There was no rule of law in Punjab and the people were subject to mercy of the police dictated by the political masters.