Cong, AAP see police ‘support’ to criminals

Bathinda, The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today targeted the ruling Akali Dal for allegedly using the police to support criminals and suppress dissent.
Holding separate press conferences, the two parties hit out at the ruling regime over the twin incidents of alleged attrocities linked to Akali leaders. A youth, Bhim Sain, died allegedly at the farmhouse of SAD leader and liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda in Abohar. A 12-year-old girl, Arshdeep Kaur, was crushed allegedly under a bus belonging to Akali Dal’s Gidderbaha in charge Hardeep Singh ‘Dimpy’ Dhillon. Both the incidents occurred on Friday.
Congress leader Sunil Jakhar alleged the Abohar episode showed the criminals enjoyed the backing of Doda as well as the police. “Otherwise, why have the accused not been arrested yet?” he said.
Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP from Sangrur, alleged that the police fired at protesting villagers and Arshdeep’s relatives in Lambi as if they were fighting terrorists. “They (police) dragged the victim’s body and event torched the bus that had killed the Class VIII girl. We have a video of the entire episode, which we will make public at an appropriate time,” said Mann.
Jakhar said instead of arresting Doda, on “whose farmhouse the incident occurred”, the police had increased his security cover. The Abohar MLA alleged that no justice could be expected as the police officer, Chameli Singh, involved in the cover-up had himself been residing at Doda’s farmhouse for the past several months.
The limbs of Bhim Sain, grandson of former Congress councillor Kashmiri Lal Tank, were chopped at the farmhouse. The location of the police officer, who has served the Badal family for a long time, could be verified from the call details of his cell phone, alleged Jakhar.
Mann said he would raise in Parliament the issue of “police dragging a girl’s body on the road, mindlessly firing at protesters, burning a bus and wrongly booking AAP workers who were demanding action against the bus driver and its owner.” “The girl’s body was dragged for nearly 500 metres and two AAP workers, Narinder Pal and Bacchitar Singh, were booked after they raised their voice. I will ask Parliament to order an inquiry into the incident,” the MP said. He even named a DSP and an SHO for participating in the incident.