SAD councillors fight over installation of mobile tower in Patiala, come to blows
PATIALA: Pandemonium prevailed in the city’s Bharat Nagar locality on Friday when two SAD councillors almost came to blows over installation of a mobile phone tower, with the husband of one of them, Sukhwinderpal Singh Minta, even attempting immolation. The trouble began when ward no 12 councillor Rajinder Singh Virk, accompanied by dozens of his supporters, arrived at a vacant plot in the area and began arguing with Minta and his wife, ward no 14 councillor Harpreet Kaur, about the proposed tower.
On Thursday Minta had stopped company workers from constructing the cell tower in the residential area and had asked them to show the mandatory permission and the municipal corporation’s “no objection certificate” required. However, today morning the workers continued with their work. At this both Minta and Virk engaged in a heated argument before the latter eventually left the area. A few minutes later, the group of people who had come with Virk allegedly beat up Minta with sticks, leaving him injured. He was later admitted to the Rajindra Hospital.
IMMOLATION BID
Area residents came to Minta’s rescue but later he poured kerosene on himself and tried to immolate himself. However, the cops, who had remained mute spectators during the entire incident, managed to stop him.
ROAD BLOCKED
Demanding registration of a criminal case against Virk and his supporters, Minta along with his supporters blocked the PatialaSirhind road and staged a protest in front of the grain market police station. Senior police officials arrive at the scene. District SAD president Indermohan Bajaj and YAD president of zone II Harpal Juneja also turned up and tried to pacify the protestors.
‘POLICE NOT TAKING ACTION’
Accusing the cops of “inaction”, Minta claimed the police supported Virk and did not intervene when the latter’s supporters were beating him up. “Despite being witness to the assault the police is reluctant to file a criminal case against Virk,” he added.
Refuting the allegations, Virk said though officials of the company were “known” to him he went to the area only for two minutes. “Why should I fight with my colleague, and that too with one who belongs to my party. I only came to know some people beat up Minta after I left the scene”, he added.
This is not the first time Virk has courted controversy. Earlier a criminal case was filed against him for assaulting Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi during the parliamentary elections last year.
DSP Gurdev Singh Dhaliwal said the police were looking into the matter. “Both parties have been called to the police station and a case will be registered once we complete the investigation”, he added.