Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Jalandhar, The BJP’s youth wing ABVP as well as the Opposition Congress here yesterday held demonstrations even as Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia was being interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged involvement in the Bhola drug racket.
The protesters demanded Majithia’s resignation to ensure a “fair probe” into the case. Dismissed police officer Jagdish Bhola, considered to be the mastermind of the Rs 6,000 crore synthetic drug racket, had alleged the Akali stalwart’s involvement in the case.
Almost an hour after the minister turned up, about 10 ABVP activists wearing black cloth around their heads arrived near the ED office and started raising anti-Majithia slogans.
Led by ABVP’s national office-bearer Saurabh Kapoor, the youths set an effigy of the minister afire. After about 10 minutes, the police bundled the youths into a vehicle and took them to Jamsher police station on the outskirts of the city. They were let off after Majithia left the ED office around 3 pm.
More than 40 Congress activists led by district committee (urban) president Rajinder Beri too took to effigy-burning. The effigy they burnt had been marked with words ‘Chitta’ (white drug powder).
They arrived from the BMC Chowk direction and wanted to cross over to lodge their protest in front of the ED office, but were stopped by the police at a barricade. They, however, burnt the effigy at the chowk and were trying to jump the barricades when the police rounded up about 25 of them.
Beri, Punjab Congress secretary Manjit Singh Sahota, councellors Tarsem Lakhotra, Dr Pardeep Rai and Pawan Kumar were taken away in a police bus. They were made to roam around the city in the bus at various locations and were freed after about four hours.
Punjab Congress RTI cell member Sanjay Sehgal alleged the police were playing in the hands of SAD-BJP government.
Top police officers of the district remained deployed outside the ED office with a heavy posse of police till Majithia left.
