E-Paper
2020 rioting case: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann appears in court, collects challan
During the previous hearing of the 2020 rioting case on March 23, the court of chief judicial magistrate Aman Inder Singh had directed the counsels of Bhagwant Mann, Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora and Sarabjit Kaur Manuke to produce them in the court.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday appeared in the district court, Chandigarh, to collect a copy of a challan in a 2020 case of rioting.
During the previous hearing on March 23, the court of chief judicial magistrate Aman Inder Singh had directed the counsels of Bhagwant Mann, Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora and Sarabjit Kaur Manuke to produce them in the court.
On Saturday, the CM with former advocate general Anmol Rattan Sidhu appeared in the court and received the copy of the challan.
The case dates back to January 10, 2020 when an FIR was registered under Sections 147, 149, 332, 353 under Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sector 3 police station in Chandigarh.
The case was registered on the complaint of lady constable Manpreet Kaur, 30, who was posted at Sector 3 police station. On the day, Kaur was posted at the gate of MLA Hostel in Sector 4 as Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit was to hold a rally.
“At around 1 pm, the party members in large numbers gathered at a ground outside the hostel. At least 10 leaders led the agitation of 750 to 800 protestors. They marched towards the exit gate while raising slogans against Punjab government (then led by Congress) and to gherao the CM house,” Kaur mentioned in the FIR.
She said that barricading was done and all senior officers were present. They asked them to stop at the gate as no permission was given by DM Chandigarh.
Except rally ground, Section 144 CrPC was imposed and not more than five persons were allowed to gather.
They were told that three to four of them can come forward and can take the letter to the CM house.
“But they started marching forward and got into a scuffle with police, following water cannons were used but they started pelting stones. Four officers suffered injuries,” the police mentioned in the challan.
The case was registered against Bhagwant Mann, Harpal Singh Cheema, Mastee Baldev Singh, Baljinder Kaur, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Manjit Singh Bilaspuri, Aman Arora, Jai Singh Rodhi, Sarabjit Kaur Manuka.
In July last year, the police had filed challan under sections 147, 149, 332, 353 of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 3 police station.
