Casteist slurs against sanitation worker: Dera Bassi MC president, councillor’s husband sent to judicial custody

A day after Dera Bassi municipal council president Ranjit Singh Reddy and Congress councillor Asha Sharma’s husband Bhupinder Sharma were arrested for allegedly assaulting a Dalit sanitation worker and hurling casteist remarks at him

A day after Dera Bassi municipal council president Ranjit Singh Reddy and Congress councillor Asha Sharma’s husband Bhupinder Sharma were arrested for allegedly assaulting a Dalit sanitation worker and hurling casteist remarks at him, both were produced before a local court that sent them to Patiala jail on judicial custody.

Mukesh Gandhi, lawyer of the complainant, Sohal Lal, had sought the duo’s police remand to identify the four unidentified accused who were also named in the FIR. But after hearing the arguments of both sides, the court sent them to judicial custody. (HT PHOTO)

Mukesh Gandhi, lawyer of the complainant, Sohal Lal, had sought the duo’s police remand to identify the four unidentified accused who were also named in the FIR. But after hearing the arguments of both sides, the court sent them to judicial custody.

Earlier, tension prevailed at the court complex as the complainant’s supporters raised slogans against Reddy and the other accused.

On the other hand, several Congressmen, under the leadership of Deepinder Singh Dhillon, also gathered at the complex in support of Reddy and Bhupinder.

Dhillon alleged that it was a case of political vendetta by the AAP government in Punjab, adding that they will chalk out a strategy to protest against this and will fight the case in court.

On Saturday, police had booked Reddy and Bhupinder, besides the latter’s son Varun Sharma and his four unidentified accomplices, who are all absconding.

The arrests came on the complaint of sanitation worker Sohan Lal, who alleged that Reddy, Bhupinder and Varun, along with the other accused, assaulted him and hurled casteist remarks at him at the MC office on August 4.

According to Lal, he was called to the office by Reddy to reach a compromise with Bhupinder, who had misbehaved with him after accusing him of stealing a septic tank’s iron lid a few days ago.

The accused are facing a case under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 3 (offences of atrocities) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.