PPCC secy’s turban tossed at Congress event in Mansa

BATHINDA : The Congress leadership in Punjab on Saturday faced an embarrassment as a video of party cadres hurling abuses at each other and turban of a local leader tossed away in Budhlada town of Mansa district went viral on the social media.

The ruckus was witnessed an hour before the scheduled arrival of state party president Sunil Jakhar, where the party’s ‘halqa’ (constituency) in-charge Ranjit Kaur Bhatti roughed up her party colleague Fateh Singh Mann, who is Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) secretary. Mann, with his turban in the hands of his supporters, left the venue after the melee as Bhatti kept shouting at him, as seen in the video.

Mann later submitted a written complaint to the Mansa SSP seeking a criminal case against Bhatti. “My sentiments as a Sikh were hurt after Ranjit Kaur Bhatti hurled abuses at me while pushing me out of the venue of the party function and tossed my turban,”

The video showed Bhatti dragging and pushing Mann out of the function venue where Jakhar was scheduled to meet the party workers in the evening. The event was later shifted to the adjoining Bhikhi town.

Mann said he wanted a criminal case to be registered against Bhatti in this connection.

CROSS COMPLAINT BY BHATTI

Mansa SSP Paramdeep Singh Parmar told HT that Bhatti has lodged a cross complaint and the matter is being looked into by SP (detective) Narinderpal Singh.

Bhatti, when contacted, said she was provoked after being pushed from behind by Mann’s supporter Kuldip Singh.

“What you see in the video is not a complete scene from the beginning, as I was pushed from behind,” she said. She alleged that Malout MLA and deputy speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti was a “conspirator behind all this”.

She claimed that her left arm was injured in the melee. “My hand is bandaged and I had to undergo X-Ray,” she added.

“It was my programme. I am the ‘halqa’ incharge appointed by the chief minister, but Mann arrived at the Congress Bhawan this morning and misled the party cadres about the venue that was a nearby dharamshala,” she said.

WILL LOOK INTO THE MATTER: JAKHAR

“We will look into the matter, and any differences will be amicably resolved,” Jakhar told HT on phone, expressing his ignorance about the incident.

Jakhar said neither Ranjit Kaur Bhatti nor any other party leader apprised him of the incident during his visit to Bhikhi.