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Ludhiana: Citing councillor’s ‘harassment’ by AAP, police, Akali Dal leaders meet Chahal
Ludhiana police commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal assured the delegation of an impartial investigation and stated that DCP Jaskiranjit Singh Teja would thoroughly examine the allegations
A day after senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon accused sub-inspector Bhupinder Singh, station house officer (SHO) of the division number 7 police station, of harassing SAD councillor Chatarvir Singh, alias Kamal Arora, party leaders met Ludhiana police commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal on Thursday, seeking “justice and a fair investigation”.
Following the meeting, Chahal assigned the probe to deputy commissioner of police (DCP, rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja and assured the delegation that no one would be harassed during the investigation.
Despite the probe being handed over, SAD leaders expressed their intention to escalate the matter to the Punjab and Haryana high court, citing an audio recording allegedly capturing the SHO threatening workers at Kamal Arora’s shop.
Ranjit Singh Dhillon alleged that on Wednesday evening, SHO Bhupinder Singh visited Kamal Arora’s scrap shop while Arora was absent and threatened the workers. Dhillon claimed the SHO warned of registering additional FIRs against Arora and vowed to obstruct his business operations even if he secured bail in a pending case.
Kamal Arora, who won the Municipal Corporation elections from Ward 20, has been embroiled in a controversy. On December 22, he was booked on the complaint of AAP worker Rakesh Kumar, alias Rinku, who alleged that Arora had threatened him at a polling booth and later sent associates to abduct and assault him.
While the case was being investigated, Arora briefly joined AAP in the presence of cabinet minister Laljit Singh Bhullar. However, he returned to SAD days later, “triggering harassment” by AAP leaders in collaboration with the police, Dhillon alleged.
Dhillon stated, “As soon as Kamal returned to SAD, AAP leaders began using police to intimidate him. SHO Bhupinder Singh’s visit to his shop under the pretext of a search was another instance of harassment. We have presented an audio recording of the SHO to the commissioner who has now directed DCP Teja to conduct a fair probe.”
He further added, “The audio clip clearly shows the SHO’s bias. We will present this evidence in court to ensure justice.”
Police commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal assured the delegation of an impartial investigation and stated that DCP Jaskiranjit Singh Teja would thoroughly examine the allegations.
When contacted, Sukhwinder Singh, additional SHO of the division number 7 police station, said SHO Bhupinder Singh is on leave. “The police are dealing with the case according to the law,” he added.
