Ludhiana: Ashu alleges bid to detain Cong man, confronts cops
According to the police, Lakhan was accused of threatening and slapping a local resident while accusing him of taking home ration provided by a rival political party
A high drama unfolded in Jawahar Nagar on Wednesday afternoon when Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu confronted police officials over their “bid to detain” a party supporter, Lakhan. The incident, on the election eve, added to the political heat in the city.
According to the police, Lakhan was accused of threatening and slapping a local resident while accusing him of taking home ration provided by a rival political party. The police stated they were acting on a complaint filed by the alleged victim. However, Congress leaders strongly contested this version.
Ashu, who arrived at the scene during the incident, accused the police of acting on behalf of the ruling party and intimidating Congress workers. “Lakhan was live on Facebook when the police arrived, broke open the glass door of his premises and dragged him out,” said Ashu. “The video clearly shows a man calmly parking his scooter and seeking not to be filmed, saying meri video te na bana. He then walked away without any confrontation. There was no threat, no slap.”
In a video, also shared by Ashu on social media, he was seen confronting cops and even pushing one of them while they were in Jawahar Nagar for Lakhan.
Congress supporters claimed that Lakhan had initially called the police himself to report the alleged distribution of ration by the opposition. However, they said the police did not respond at that time. Hours later, a team led by inspector Bikramjit Singh Ghuman, station house officer (SHO) of the division number 5 police station, and Dharampal Chaudhary, in-charge of Kochar market police post, arrived at the location and allegedly tried to forcibly detain Lakhan.
Ashu claimed that when Lakhan asked to see the complaint against him, police officers forcibly entered his premises and attempted to arrest him without showing any formal document. “While I protested, cops were seen writing a complaint on the spot to justify their actions. This clearly shows they were trying to cover up a wrongful act. It’s shameful how the police are being used as a tool by the ruling party to harass our workers,” he said.
When asked about the incident, a senior police official confirmed that a complaint had been received from a scooter-borne individual who claimed that Lakhan had stopped and slapped him while accusing him of accepting political ration. The officer further said, “A police team went there only to question Lakhan who has a criminal history with four FIRs registered against him between 2017 and 2019, including two cases of scuffles, one involving snatching and one of theft.”
Commissioner of police Swapan Sharma said, “The police are verifying all aspects of the incident and will take appropriate action as per the law.”
The incident has sparked a new wave of political controversy with the Congress accusing the administration of suppressing its workers ahead of the crucial Ludhiana West bypoll. Later Bharat Bhushan Ashu filed a complaint against the Ludhiana police and AAP workers for distribution of cash, liquor and ration and harassment of party workers. Ashu also demanded for immediate transfer of officers and FIR against AAP candidate and associates.
