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SAD leaders court arrest outside Channi’s house
Senior leaders of the party were stopped outside Channi’s residence in Sector 2 and were taken to Sarangpur police station after their arrest
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, including party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, were arrested by Chandigarh Police on Saturday when they arrived to hold a demonstration in front of the official residence of Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Senior leaders of the party were stopped outside Channi’s residence in Sector 2 and were taken to Sarangpur police station after their arrest.
On Friday, the SAD core committee members had announced they would court arrest in front of the CM’s residence to protest against the alleged conspiracy to implicate former minister Bikram Singh Majithia in a false drugs case.
While being arrested, Sukhbir warned state government officials against becoming part of the conspiracy against the SAD leaders.
He claimed that the SAD leaders had definite information that the chief minister has ordered the state DGP to register a false case against Majithia. “This has been done after the chief minister held a meeting with Punjab Congress chief (Navjot Singh Sidhu) and home minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa,” he said. All core group members of the party accompanied Sukhbir in the demonstration.
Meanwhile, high drama was witnessed on the MLA hostel premises in Sector 4 when an unemployed elementary teacher climbed atop a mobile tower carrying a petrol bottle.
The incident took place hours before the SAD leaders were to assemble at the MLA hostel to march towards the CM’s residence. The protester threatened to end his life if the government doesn’t sign orders regarding ending pay anomaly and regularising the services of 180 teachers.
SAD leaders, including Sukhbir and Majithia, talked to the teacher and tried to persuade him to come down, but to no avail.
Later, they rang education minister Pargat Singh and urged him to intervene.
Cong slams Akalis
Congress leader Damanvir Phillaur hit out at the SAD for its court arrest in view of the reported move of the state government to register an FIR against former Akali minister Bikram Singh Majithia in a drug case.
“It is shameful to see the Akali Dal, a party known for morchas like Punjabi Suba & ‘Jaito’ putting up a ‘morcha’ to protect someone who has links in a drug trade,” Damanvir said in a statement.
He said the Akali Dal that was a party known for agitations it conducted for betterment of Punjab and Punjabis has been reduced to a ‘family’ party by Sukhbir who’s only aim is to protect and promote his relatives’ in all sort of activities.
Damanvir, son of ex-Akali minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, who was also once quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the drug case before he joined the Congress ahead of Punjab assembly polls in 2017, said chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi deserves all udos for allowing law enforcement agencies to deal with drug mafia.
