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Tractor-trolley theft row: AAP suspends Nabha MC head, husband
Confirming the development, AAP Punjab general secretary, Baltej Pannu said, “We have suspended both – Sujata Chawla and Manish Chawla – for anti-party activities.”
Amid mounting backlash from opposition parties and farmer unions, the Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suspended Nabha municipal council president Sujata Chawla and her husband, Manish Chawla alias Pankaj Pappu. Pankaj Pappu is facing allegations of stealing a tractor-trolley from the farmers’ protest site at Shambhu.
Confirming the development, AAP Punjab general secretary, Baltej Pannu said, “We have suspended both – Sujata Chawla and Manish Chawla – for anti-party activities.”
The action comes after the controversy escalated last week when discarded parts of the alleged stolen tractor-trolley were recovered from a pit at the official residence of the executive officer (EO) of the Nabha municipal council.
On November 20, Police said they had recovered parts of tractor trolleys, allegedly stolen during farmers’ protests eight months ago, from the official residence of the EO. The recovery was made after police excavated the premises under mounting pressure from farmers, who have been holding intense protests for the last two days, demanding it.
In an open letter issued a day after the recovery, EO Gurcharan Singh had clarified that while the house was allotted to him, he was not residing there. “Instead, AAP leader Pankaj Pappu had been occupying the residence and was using it for party-related activities,” the letter further stated. No action has been initiated against the EO to date for allowing the use of his official residence for other activities.
The Patiala Police has already booked Pappu on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, destruction of evidence, and criminal conspiracy. The FIR, registered at the Nabha Kotwali police station, names him in the alleged theft of tractor-trailers and other material from the Shambhu protest site.
Pappu, who faces two FIRs in the case, has secured anticipatory bail.
Pappu has denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated. He claimed he was being targeted by certain municipal council members and added that he was not aware of the suspension.
“Considering the constant allegations, I, along with Nabha municipal council president Sujata Chawla, will keep ourselves away from party activities, as the opposition has been targeting AAP,” he said.
