Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 10 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked the Election Commission to protect the life and liberty of all police and civil officials in Shahkot assembly constituency, saying the manner in which an SHO who had received the DGP’s Commendation Disc was vilified by the Congress government had demoralized the entire official machinery and dashed all hopes of a free and fair by-poll.
In a memorandum to the Election Commission, SAD spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the treatment meted out to Mehetpur SHO Parminder Bajwa by the Congress government had demoralized the police as well as civil machinery in Shahkot and unless remedial action was taken by the EC free and fair elections were not possible in the constituency. The memorandum said the Congress government had sent a clear message to officials that in case they did not toe the party’s line they would also meet the same fate as the Mehatpur SHO. “In case the EC does not move immediately to ensure protection of all these officers in Shahkot the entire election process will become a farce”, it added.
The memorandum also brought to the notice of the EC that complete anarchy had been let loose by the Congress party in Shahkot and that this had been widely reported in the media. It said the EC asked the State government to give a panel of officers to be posted as SHO Mehatpur following which Inspector Parminder Singh Bajwa was given this charge. “The officer was also forwarded a complaint regarding illegal mining being done by Congress Shahkot assembly by-poll candidate Hardev Singh Laadi for necessary action. SHO Parminder Bajwa registered a case against Laadi after careful perusal of facts including videographic evidence submitted against the Congress leader”, the memorandum said.
Dr Cheema said despite the fact that the case against Laadi was registered on solid grounds on May 4, the entire government machinery took it upon itself to discredit the police officer and put pressure upon him to rescind his decision. He said this was done despite the fact that a non-bailable case had been registered against Laadi. “Even the Pradesh Congress president as well as chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh resorted to a vilification campaign against the officer by terming him as mentally unstable and amoral”, Dr Cheema added.
The SAD requested the EC to give directions for protection of the life and liberty of the police officer. It said SHO Parminder Bajwa was recommended for the DGP’s Commendation Disc by the Jalandhar Police and was awarded the same on January 22 this year for his “outstanding policing achievements”. It said it was understandable that the same police officer, who was also lauded for “service to the people”, was vilified as mentally unstable solely because he registered an FIR against the Congress candidate.
It also called for immediate arrest of Congress candidate Hardev Laadi as well as protection from persecution of the Mehatpur SHO as well as all other government officials in Shahkot constituency.
