SAD indulging in vendetta to avenge Jaitley’s defeat: Cong
Thursday, 28/08/2014
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
AMRITSAR: The Congress on Wednesday accused the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of indulging in “political vendetta” against its party workers and supporters and “booking them in false and fabricated criminal cases”.
Making this accusation before the media here on Wednesday, Amritsar (urban) District Congress Committee (DCC) chief Gurjit Singh Aujla said the latest case had come in from Sohian Kalan village in the Majitha assembly constituency of the powerful revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
He claimed that the target in this case was a farmer, Banka Singh, and his family members, who had switched loyalties from SAD to the Congress during the Lok Sabha elections.
“It seems the Akalis have still not been able to digest the humiliating defeat of BJP heavyweight Arun Jaitley by Capt Amarinder Singh and thus they are targeting those who had come out in open to support Amarinder. They are being booked in criminal cases,” Aujla alleged.
Aujla along with Jagwinder Singh Majithia, a Congress leader from Majitha, claimed that Banka and his family members were targeted for inviting Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) general secretary Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia to a ‘mela’ (fair) that the family used to organises every year at Sohian Kalan. In the previous years, Bikram Singh Majithia used to be the chief guest at the fair, but this time Lalli Majithia replaced him and this angered the Akalis of the area, they alleged.
Divulging details, Jagwinder claimed that a couple of days back, Banka was booked under section 171 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as he had written ‘police’ on his scooter. Though the scooter was registered in the name of Banka, his brother-inlaw, who is in police and uses the scooter, had got the word inscribed, claimed Jagwinder, while pointing out that the actual motive behind the case was to pressurise Banka into not inviting Lalli Majithia to the fair as the chief guest.
The Congress leaders claimed that the cops got perturbed after Lalli Majithia made his appearance at the fair on Tuesday. Thereafter, in the night, police raided Banka’s house and allegedly beat up those present, including the women folk.
They claimed that six people, including Banka and his wife and two other women, were booked under sections 379, 353, 186 and 224 of the IPC for misbehaving and man handling the cops. All those booked have gone underground to avoid arrest.
“The case is fabricated and the family has been punished to teach them a lesson for supporting the Congress in the elections,” Aujla claimed, while indicating that they would take legal course to secure the cancellation of the case.
SSP JUSTIFIES REGISTRATION OF CASES
Amritsar rural senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jasdeep Singh on Wednesday justified the registration of the two cases.
He said Banka had illegally inscribed the word ‘police’ on his scooter, which in itself was against the law, and therefore he was booked. Moreover, there were reports that he used to ferry liquor on his scooter and often went around telling people that he was in police force, he added.
“We had gone to arrest Banka on Tuesday, but his family members, including women, pounced on police. Policemen were manhandled, beaten and were prevented from discharging their duties. So we had no option, but to book the family members,” the SSP claimed.
