As Akalis protest, photos of CM, MLA removed from Sangrur police stations
POLICE ON TUESDAY SAY THEY REMOVED PORTRAITS INSTALLED BY YOUTH CONGRESS ACTIVISTS ON MONDAY; ACTION COMES AFTER AKALIS’ OBJECTION
SANGRUR : The district police on Tuesday removed the portraits of Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and local MLA Vijay Inder Singla from the city and sadar police stations here, after the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) cried foul over it.
The portraits were installed by the activists of Punjab Youth Congress and other party leaders on Monday, purportedly to convey that police stations have now been freed from the stranglehold of the SAD, which led the previous government in the state.
However, the SAD alleged that the ruling Congress has “captured the police stations.”
Party vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema on Tuesday asked Punjab chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh to order a probe into the matter.
Cheema, in a representation to the CS, also handed over pictures of Youth Congress activists boasting about this “achievement” on social media. He said it was shocking that pictures of Amarinder Singh and MLA Singla had been installed by Congressmen in the offices of station house officer (SHOS) of the city and sadar police stations in the presence of the SHOS.
Cheema said no one could object to the installation of the CM’S portrait “but it should be installed by the administration and not Congress workers”.
He said the incident “proves that politicisation of the state police is complete”. “It also shows that Congress has taken over the police stations and is virtually running them.”
“Indeed, it shows police stations have been taken over by Congress MLAS and I demand an inquiry into the matter. We will oppose such activities which would harm democratic values,” said Cheema.
Meanwhile, Punjab Youth Congress general secretary Poonam Kangra and her husband Darshan Kangra, who were part of the group that installed the pictures, still stuck to their stance.
Talking to HT, she said, “We installed the portraits and we still feel that these should be there. We want to convey it to people that police stations have been freed from the stranglehold of the Akalis.”
Though the police did not stop the Youth Congress activists from installing the portraits on Monday, deputy superintendent of police (Dsp-rural) Sandeep Wadhera claimed, “The pictures of the CM and the MLA were removed immediately after these were installed. You can see there is no picture in both police stations. Police are working independently.”