Congress MLA who ‘caught’ AAP legislator ‘roaming illegally’ in Jalandharfaces FIR under non-bailable section
Jalandhar: Targeting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party over the alleged unlawful presence of its at least seven MLAs in Jalandhar on the day of the Lok Sabha bypoll on May 10 is costing the opposition dear as Congress MLA from Shahkot Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia has been booked under a non-bailable section. Also read: Jalandhar bypoll: Congress, Akali leaders jointly ‘catch’ AAP outsiders functioning illegally as booth agents
Sherowalia, who had gone live on Facebook on May 10 when he had gheraoed Baba Bakala MLA Dalbir Singh Tong at Roopewal village for being “illegally present” in Jalandhar on the day of voting and had got him booked under Section 188 of the IPC, himself faces a police case under a non-bailable section. The FIR was reportedly lodged on May 10 at 8pm on the complaint of the driver of Tong’s escort Gypsy, Gagandeep Arora.
Laddi has been booked under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 186 (obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 148 (whoever is guilty of rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon) of the IPC.
Section 353 is a non-bailable offence and the same was imposed on Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira recently after he had complained to the Punjab Governor regarding alleged sexual misconduct of a Punjab minister.
Though the police officials had confirmed it on Thursday evening that Laddi had been booked, they had remained tight-lipped about the sections imposed. A copy of the FIR was made available on Friday morning.
The FIR gives the statement of the driver of the Baba Bakala MLA’s escort Gypsy, as per which he alleged that he was going from Baba Bakala to Sultanpur Lodhi via Nakodar. “There was a traffic jam at Malsian Chowk owing to which we chose to take the route via Roopewal village when Laddi and his men gheraoed us. They snatched the keys of my Gypsy. When I and other accompanying staff resisted, they got after us. Thus they interfered in the discharge of our official duty. All these people were acting at the behest of MLA Laddi,” his statement reads.
The 12 people booked with Laddi are Saroop Singh, Lakhvir Singh, Akashpreet Singh, Iqbal Singh, Balvir Singh, Balraj Singh Jammu, Harjinder Singh, Hardeep Singh, Sukhdeep Singh, Surinder Singh, Chanchal Singh and Ashwinder Singh, all of Shahkot.
Laddi has said that he is not afraid of the FIR. “It only makes me stronger than before,” he said.