A registration of case against lok Insaaf Party (lIP) MlA Simarjeet Singh Bains, for “forcefully” entering a Verka Milk plant in ludhiana and allegedly “obstructing Government work”, has brought together many political leaders hailing from different parties on one platform.
led by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MlA and the leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira, a delegation comprising lIP president Bains, former Deputy Speaker of Vidhan Sabha Bir Devinder Singh, CPI Punjab leader Joginder Dyal, CPM leader Raghunath, BSP leader Pal Singh Rattu, United Akali Dal’s Gurnam Singh Sidhu, among others, demanded cancellation of FIR against Bains registered “under a well planned political vendetta conspiracy”.
The delegation has also written letters to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh demanding cancelation of “mischievous, utterly false, frivolous and concocted” FIR registered “under political instructions” against “whistleblower” MlA Simarjeet Singh Bains “for exposing Rs 200 crore spurious milk scam”.
Besides, it demanded that those officers, who registered the FIR with the aim to “intimidate and gag the voice of whistleblowers”, be booked under section 182 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for making a fake complaint.
An all-party delegation also demanded that a CBI probe or a judicial inquiry be ordered against “large scale corruption in the Verka milk plants that is endangering the health of citizens, besides looting the public exchequer of Punjab”.
Khaira pointed that Bains, accompanied by print and electronic media, had “exposed a mega scam of Rs 200 crore, pertaining to spurious milk production by Verka milk plant of ludhiana. Before visiting the milk plant, Bains and his team had collected milk samples and had them tested in various laboratories, including those authorized by Verka Milk plant”.
He claimed that there was massive hue and cry amongst the people about the sale of “spurious milk” in Punjab causing widespread diseases.
“When Bains countered the milk plant authorities with spurious milk samples supported with documented proofs, the staff at Verka milk plant was speechless and dumbfounded and had no satisfactory answer, in the presence of media,” added Khaira.
“Unfortunately, instead of initiating stringent action against the corrupt authorities of Verka milk plant for causing loss to the public exchequer and spreading disease amongst the people, the ludhiana police registered a maliciously false case of trespassing, obstruction in duty by government servants etc against Bains and others. This vindictive action of the police can rightly be termed as shooting the messenger,” he said.
The delegation maintained that the ludhiana police’s “vindictive action” conveys a message that Congress Government is all out to protect and shield corrupt officers looting the state with impunity.