Punjab BJP chief cancels SBS Nagar visit; Sampla gheraoed in Moga
Arrest delayed for one day for the prosecution (state) to file response to the bail application
LUDHIANA/MOGA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab unit president of the party Ashwani Sharma on Monday cancelled a review meeting with party candidates in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district due to the farmers’ protest there.
A large number of farmers broke three barricades on the way to BJP meeting spot in the city and blocked all roads leading to the venue. BJP district chief Poonam Manik said, “Police was soft on protesters and allowed them to block roads to the meeting venue. We informed the state president of this, so he decided not to come.”
Sharma held a state-level
meeting with party workers, in Ludhiana, in a secretive manner. District in-charges and district presidents were part of the meeting, which was called to discuss the February 14 civic polls. The meeting was organised at a community hall to the rear of a shopping mall on the Ferozepur Road. The media was not informed. BJP workers who were part of the meeting were instructed not to share the schedule.
State BJP co-incharge Dr Narinder Singh, state general secretary Jeevan Gupta; former BJP president Rajinder Bhandari and Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina were also present. “The Congress is facing defeat in MC polls, and is, thus, targeting BJP leaders,” Sharma said in a communique.
In Moga, activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) gheraoed senior BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Sampla on Monday when he arrived in the city to campaign for the party candidates for the municipal corporation elections. Local BJP leaders and candidates left the spot, leaving Sampla and party’s district president Vinay Sharma behind, as soon as the BKU activists arrived to protest outside the gate of the Moga Improvement Trust market against the Centre’s farm laws. The protesters managed to gherao him even as heavy police force was deployed there.
Sampla arrived around noon and was meeting local BJP leaders and party candidates at the office of a party worker.
“The protesters were not farmers. They were Congress and Left goons. The elections are taking place when candidates are not being allowed to contest elections. This is all happening because of the ruling Congress in the state,” said the former minister who cancelled his other programmes in the city.
AMBALA: A day after the Ambala Police booked a 54-year-old deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Haryana Police for allegedly assaulting and misbehaving with state home minister Anil Vij’s brother Kapil Vij at a club in Ambala Cantonment, a court stayed the arrest of the officer till Tuesday.
During a hearing on the anticipatory bail plea moved by DIG, Vigilance Bureau (Ambala
Range), Ashok Kumar, the court of additional sessions judge Sundeep Singh delayed the arrest for one day for the prosecution (state) to file response to the bail application.
Kumar’s counsel Satinder Singh Garg said that the case itself is false and no rules were followed by the police due to political pressure from Anil Vij.
“To file an FIR against a serving IPS officer, the police have to seek permission from the Union and state governments. However, in this case, due to political pressure of the state home minister, no such permission was sought. Moreover, the minister has some personal grudge against Kumar as he didn’t follow his instructions in a few investigations in the past. It was a perfect occasion for them to take revenge as they gathered in a party on Sunday,” the advocate said.
SSP Hamid Akhtar said, “This claim wasn’t taken up during the first hearing today. We’ll respond when it is contested in the next hearing.”
Kapil, 61, in his police statement, said, “I went to the birthday party of former chairman of the phoenix club, Rakesh Aggarwal’s grandson at Sirhind Club in Cantt with Rajesh, of Shastri Colony, and Ajay Aggarwal, of Guru Nanak Marg. When we were about to have lunch, one Ashok Kumar, who we later found is DIG (vigilance), under the influence of alcohol and without any provocation started abusing me and my family, and also threatened me of dire consequences.”
“He said that he is DIG (vigilance) and nobody could harm him. He also made obscene gestures at me while leaving,” Kapil added.
Acting on his complaint, a case was registered against the DIG under Sections 294 (obscene act), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Ambala Cantt police station.
Akhtar said that multiple teams are investigating the facts and the crime spot that was an open place without any CCTVS.
People close to Kapil Vij said that both Vij and Kumar were sitting on separate tables, when the latter interfered and argued on some issue.
“Kapil was discussing about the vaccine that his brother was administered during the trial, at his table and the officer, in an inebriated condition, later interfered during lunch saying that the infection and vaccination is a fraud itself.,” a local said.