Congress worker injured in clash with Akali group in Batala village

BATALA: In yet another incident of post-election violence between Congress and Akali workers, a Congress worker was critically injured when former chairman of Dera Baba Nanak block samiti, Kulwant Singh, and his men allegedly shot at him and severely injured him with sharpedged weapons at Agwan village in Batala on Friday.

Tension was already simmering between the two groups and, on Friday morning, Kulwant, a close aide of SAD leader Sucha Singh Langah, and his group attacked Kanwaljeet while he was coming back from his fields, it is learnt. One of the men fired from point-blank range at Kanwaljeet. While his family says the bullet hit him in the foot, the police were yet to confirm that. After he fell down, the group assaulted him further; and also attacked people who came to the spot after listening to cries of help raised by Kanwaljeet. After assuming that they had managed to kill Kanwaljeet, the group left.

DSP, Dera Baba Nanak, Vishaljeet Singh and the SHO reached the spot and controlled the situation after supporters of both parties started gathering near the village. The victim was rushed to the civil hospital in Dera Baba Nanak but was later referred to an Amritsar hospital.

Congress MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa blamed the Akalis. “Kulwant Singh had created terror in the entire area and, after losing the elections, the Akalis got agitated . They will have to pay the price for their acts of violence. I have talked to the SSP, who has assured me that the guilty will be punished,” he said.

When contacted SSP, Batala, Deepak Holari, said he had dispatched a police team to Amritsar to record the statement of the victim.