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Ludhiana: PSPCL staffers on protest seeking FIR against AAP MLA’s supporters
The protesters sought registration of a case against Jaswinder Sandhu, Lakhwinder Chaudhary, Deepak Sharma and Sumit Sharma
The employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) started an indefinite strike, seeking a case against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Daljit Singh Bhola Grewal’s supporters for allegedly mistreating, threatening and attempting to assault two junior engineers (JEs). The PSPCL employees from various unions started a protest at the Sunder Nagar division over an incident that occurred on May 30.
The protesters sought registration of a case against Jaswinder Sandhu, Lakhwinder Chaudhary, Deepak Sharma and Sumit Sharma.
According to JE Rajiv Sharma, power supply was disrupted in Gagandeep Colony, and he, along with JE Sahil Sharma, was called to fix the issue. He alleged that while they were working to resolve the problem, the MLA’s supporters verbally abused and threatened them. Rajiv Sharma claimed that he was “almost assaulted” and was saved by onlookers.
Refuting the allegations, Ludhiana East MLA Daljit Singh Grewal said, “The incident was two days before elections. These employees had taken bribes from the residents of Gagandeep Colony to rectify the issue. As I asked them not to indulge in such practices, they started the protest. Residents of that area would submit an affidavit that these employees take bribes.”
Union leaders additional sub-divisional officer (SDO) Raghveer Singh, Gurpreet Singh, PSEB Employees Federation president Jagtar Singh and others pushed for a police case against the accused.
Rajiv Sharma added, “The MLA had met with senior officials regarding the power issue. After they left, his supporters confronted us, using abusive language and attempting to incite violence.”
The union leaders said the strike will continue until a formal case is registered. They emphasised that the responsibility for any inconvenience caused to the public lies with the MLA and the management, not the protesting workers.
“If no case is registered, we will escalate our strike from division to circle and state levels,” said one of the union leaders. “The delay in filing a police complaint and the lack of action by the authorities are unacceptable,” he added.
The strike has disrupted power supply and maintenance services in the region.
