A day after its Ropar MlA Amarjit Singh Sandoa was beaten up allegedly by the mining mafia, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday intensified its protest against the Congress Government in Punjab. As the delegation of party MlAs met Punjab Governor seeking Vidhan Sabha’s special Session to discuss sandy issue of illegal mining in the State, AAP workers organised State-wide protests against the ruling regime.
AAP MlAs, led by leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira and AAP State unit co-president Balbir Singh, sought Governor VP Singh Bandore’s intervention to ensure strong and exemplary action against Sandoa’s attackers, besides arresting the absconding culprits immediately.
A demand to beef up Sandoa’s security cover was also submitted through a memorandum “so that that no such incident occurs again in future”.
“The party has demanded a thorough review of the State’s security scenario and security provided to the elected representatives and other individuals,” they added.
AAP has also demanded a special session of Vidhan Sabha to discuss the recent “brutal” attacks on the MlA, and the forest officials and the nefarious activities of the mining mafia in Punjab.
“We have requested the Governor to call an urgent session of Vidhan Sabha to discuss the burring issues in Punjab, including sand mafia, deteriorating law and order, unemployment, polluted waters etc., as these issues are never discussed in the session,” said Khaira while talking with the media later. He said that the special Session should discuss and deliberate a new mining policy of the State.
He said they will “proceed to Ropar today to check the FIR registered in the incident and action taken by police…In case no proper action was taken by the police, AAP’s State leadership would stage a protest demonstration at Ropar on Monday”.
Khaira added the party has also apprised the Governor about the situation of Punjab and requested him to intervene into the matter to deliver justice to the AAP MlA.
He went on to blame the Congress Government for its failure to control the sand mafia in the State which was running fearlessly as was during the SAD-BJP rule.
Also criticizing SAD for its statement on the incident, Khaira said that the sand mafia is a result of SAD-BJP rule only. Rubbishing SAD’s charges that Sandoa’s attackers were actually AAP supporters who were protesting extortions by the Rupnagar legislator, he said: “These are baseless charges, bereft of facts and without any evidence.” He alleged that the mining mafia is collecting Rs 10,000 from the crusher owners and they have the backing of political leaders of State.
During the meeting, the party strongly condemned the brutal attack on Sandoa and his security personnel “by the sand mafia”. Elaborating, Khaira said Sandoa got complaints that sand mafia was operating unauthorisedly and digging sand quarry near Baihara village.
“A day earlier, he tried to contact the Mining Director to complain about it but was told by his office that the director was on leave and they could not tell to who the complaint was to be made. Roopnagar Deputy Commissioner did not pick up his phone calls and Sandoa has already made a complaint to the Vidhan Sabha Privileges Committee,” added Khaira.
He said under these circumstances, he took the media along with him and went to the site of quarry. “On seeing Sandoa with the media, the goons of the sand mafia confronted him and brutally attacked him and his security with whatever they could lay their hand on. Turbans of Sandoa and his security personnels were tossed. He was seriously injured and was referred by Sri Anandpur Sahib Hospital to the PGI, where he is under treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile, AAP’s workers and volunteers on Friday burnt effigies and raised slogans against the Congress Government in a statewide protests after its legislator Amarjit Singh Sandoa was allegedly attacked by members of a sand mining mafia in Rupnagar district.
AAP workers demonstrated at various places across Punjab, including Rupnagar, Amritsar, ludhiana, Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Moga.