Sukhbir, Valtoha booked for criminal intimidation, spreading infection

AMRITSAR: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also a former deputy chief minister of the state, and two former MLAS, Virsa Singh Valtoha and Amarpal Singh Bony, have been booked for criminal intimidation, and spreading Covid-19 infection, among other sections, at the Beas police station on Thursday. The police action comes a day after Sukhbir and his supporters conducted a ‘raid’ at the mining site, claiming that it was illegal.

M/s Friends and Company, which has the contract for sand mining, along the Beas River is the complainant.

In its complaint to Amritsar (rural) SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana on Wednesday, it had alleged that Sukhbir, along with Valtoha and Ajnala, and other SAD members had threatened their employees and staff, besides obstructing and interfering in its legal mining operations at its de-silting site in Wazir Bhullar village of Baba Bakala sub-division.

“They terrorised our staff and obstructed our operations by misleading locals. They tried to benefit by maligning the image of the company,” the complaint says, adding, “It is necessary to investigate the act and conduct of Sukhbir, Bony and Valtoha, and the other party members to verify at whose behest they had stopped a legal mining operation.”

SSP Khurana said a case had been registered under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act,1897.

SAD spokesperson Valtoha said, “It is shameful that the government has acted under the pressure of mining mafia. It wants to suppress voices against illegal mining. We challenge them to prove that it was legal. Rules are being floated recklessly with police and mining mafia in collusion. They did not even have permission from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to de-silt the river. We will approach NGT.”