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Ludhiana: Day after attack, SR Ladhar says police did not act on inputs of possible protest
Former bureaucrat and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Gill constituency candidate SR Ladhar says police are hand-in-glove with the culprits behind the attack.
A day after being attacked, former bureaucrat and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Gill constituency candidate SR Ladhar held the police responsible for the incident, stating that despite inputs about possible protests by “anti-social elements”, no extra force was deployed for his security.
“Police are hand-in-glove with opposition parties and are shielding the culprits. They have even fudged the FIR and involved BJP worker Gurmukh Singh Gora, at whose house we were at when the attack took place,” said the BJP leader, who has been discharged from the hospital and is recuperating at his home on Pakhowal Road.
He went on to allege that there were three cops around him when he came under attack, but they stood as mute spectators.
When asked about the reason behind his attack, Ladhar said opposition parties are feeling threatened by the overwhelming response he has received from the people of Gill constituency.
“Ever since I joined BJP, I was subjected to trolling on social media. Instead of debating on a public platform, I am being assaulted and threatened. The accused who had assaulted me are backed by opposition parties,” said Ladhar.
He further said that the attack on him is a reflection of the bias against Dalits. “The dominant Jatt community cannot tolerate the rise of Dalits, particularly farm labourers. They feel they will lose their influence on farm labourers (siri) if a retired bureaucrat will start representing them,” said Ladhar.
“After Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi withdrew the three farm laws, farmer unions quickly grabbed the credit, while lower castes farm labourers were deliberately ignored, despite their active involvement to make the farm struggle a success,” he said.
“If farm unions are claiming that the two persons caught by the police were not involved in the attack, then they should handover the real culprits to the police,” said Ladhar.
He added, “We live in a democratic country. How can a bunch of men stop me from seeking votes? By attacking me, they cannot muzzle my voice. Be it through politics or out of it, I will continue to raise the issue of Dalits and poor farm labourers.”
He claimed that while being in service, he has taken many steps to bring a change in the lives of Dalits and other lower castes.
Ladhar was actively involved in the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws and even hosted a mega rally in Ludhiana last year. He even claimed to have visited Singhu Border over 17 times.
Kisan protest
The arrest of two suspects, one of them a BKU (Ugrahan)’s functionary, triggered protests outside the Sadar police station with farmers claiming that police have wrongly booked the two persons and that the attack on SR Ladhar was the handiwork of some anti-social elements.
District general secretary of the union Saudagar Singh Ghudani of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Ugraha) said that the protest was lifted after police assurance of a free-and-fair probe in the matter.
“We are caught in crossfire. A lot of farmers from Humayunpur (the village of one of the accused) had joined the farmers protest at Delhi border. There is a strong opposition of political parties in the village and that is the reason the youth of these villages are being framed in false cases,” said Ghudani.
Lekhi condemns attack on Ladhar
Union minister of state for external affairs and culture and senior BJP leader, Meenakashi Lekhi on Monday condemned the attack on Ladhar.
She alleged that the attack was carried out at the behest of those threatened by Ladhar’s popularity. She hoped the Election Commission of India will take serious note of this incident.
