Cong MLA sparks row as audio demanding ‘courtesy call’ from SHO surfaces online

IN A FACEBOOK POST, HARMINDER GILL CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST THE COP FOR SHARING AUDIO, LATER DELETES IT CITING CM AMARINDER’S ORDERS

TARNTARAN: Congress MLA from Patti Harminder Singh Gill sparked controversy on Tuesday after an audio clip of him allegedly threatening a newly-appointed SHO for not paying him a courtesy visit surfaced on the internet.

This has come at a time when the whole country is expressing gratitude towards the police force for combating Covid-19 on the frontlines.

As per the unverified audio clip, which is spreading rapidly on social media, the MLA talks to Harike SHO Navdeep Singh rudely.

“Since when have you been posted here,” Gill asks, to which the SHO says, “Sir, a day before yesterday.”

“Don’t you know there is an MLA in Patti constituency to whom you need to make a call,” Gill questions Singh, who replies, “I had taken permission from the sir (seems the SSP).”

To this, Gill says, “Listen to me for a minute my young brother, MLAs have some powers. We are not imbeciles who will sit back and watch SHO or munshis take charge here...Did you make a courtesy call to me? Did I go to Pakistan? How many MLAs are in Patti segment? Have you become the od? .... You talk to your SSP. Is MLA not important to you?” Gill continues.

He further says, “Whenever a cop does his work, you stop him. I asked police officer Kulbir Singh for some work, but you have resisted him. Why you have stopped him?”

When the SHO said he was unaware of this, Gill is heard saying in a threatening tone, “No issues. You will get the knowledge soon.” Before the call is disconnected, the SHO says “sorry” to the MLA.

On Tuesday, Gill took to Facebook to post a clarification on the audio recording. He also demanded action against the SHO for sharing the audio clip online. “If I have uttered anything wrong, action should be taken against me as per the law. And if the SHO has violated his duty, appropriate step should be taken against him,” he posted on his Facebook page.

He later deleted the post and shared a new one which read, “The matter has reached the CM house. On the CM’s direction, I am deleting my posts from Facebook.”