In a bizarre turn of events, the cop who had threatened to arrest Congress leader Hardev Singh laddi landed himself in police net on Friday and that too when he had gone to the court for seeking protection for himself. Arrested by his colleagues for “assaulting” a cop, Mehatpur SHO Parminder Singh Bajwa was transferred out of the district in the evening by the Election Commission.
He was replaced by inspector Hardeep Singh, who was posted as Maloud police station SHO in Khanna Police district of ludhiana Police range.
Bajwa has earned the wrath of the Congress leadership in the state after registering FIR in a mining case against party’s candidate for Shahkot by-poll, days after the announcement of by-election. The Opposition parties were targeting the ruling Congress for misusing the official machinery to save its candidate and ‘harassing’ an upright police officer for booking laddi.
Bajwa was arrested from a district court complex by the Jalandhar police for allegedly assaulting and obstructing an on-duty government official after he appeared with his licensed weapon. Bajwa had reportedly come to the court, with his two counsels, after he submitted an application in the court to seek protection as his licensed weapons and gunmen were withdrawn by the district police.
In his application, Bajwa has sought security for himself as he felt that there was a threat “from unknown people”.
“He (Bajwa) has been arrested and an FIR is registered against him. He pushed and assaulted an assistant sub-inspector-rank police officer during the frisking process at the court premises (in Jalandhar) thus preventing him from discharging his duty,” said Jalandhar Commissioner of Police Praveen Kumar Sinha.
He said that Bajwa was carrying his licensed revolver at the time of being frisked and tried to conceal it before the on-duty police officer when he checked him.
Bajwa was arrested under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the IPC, Sinha said, adding that he was also booked under relevant the provisions of the Arms Act.
Earlier in the day, Bajwa had been taken into police custody, Sinha said.
“Being a police officer himself, Bajwa knows the rules, but violated them,” said Sinha. The police took him to Barandari police station amid high drama as Bajwa kept on repeating that he was being hounded after he registered FIR of illegal mining against laddi.
Jalandhar police also produced Bajwa in the local court, which directed to send him to the judicial custody till May 25.
Bajwa had registered an FIR against Congress nominee in the wee hours on May 4 after a complaint received by Chief Electoral Officer was directed to him. He then sent his “resignation” to Jalandhar Rural SSP and later withdrew it, reportedly “under pressure”.
Bajwa later revealed that he had called up the SSP night before registering the case but latter did not guide. On Monday, the SHO had declared that he would not sign the case cancellation report of the FIR against the Congress candidate laddi with the ilaqa magistrate.
Claiming that he was to join on Monday, but had been forcibly sent on a five-day leave, Bajwa had stated that even if some officiating SHO cancelled the FIR on his behalf, he would take up the matter in the High Court.
He went on to add that he wanted to build up a case and even wanted to approach the Election Commission of India, but his seniors kept him on radar and didn’t let him go.
Earlier, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had described the arbitrary registration of the FIR by the SHO against the Congress candidate as part of a political conspiracy. He had also accused him of being in touch with leaders of the opposition SAD and AAP.
Shahkot bypoll was necessitated following the death of MlA Ajit Singh Kohar.
CAPT VIOlATING ElECTION CODE: SAD TO CEC
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday complained to the Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat accusing Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of violating the model code of conduct besides threatening the law enforcement agencies. At the same time, the SAD also demanded posting of a senior officer to overlook the Shahkot by-poll besides deploying para-military forces to ensure a free and fair election.
The complaint was registered by the SAD delegation, led by its secretary general and MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa along with MPs Balwinder Singh Bhundur and Naresh Gujral besides senior vice presidents Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Daljit Singh Cheema.
The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission headed by CEC and briefed him that the Chief Minister was resorting to phone tapping of rivals and asked him to inquire into all these violations of the model code of conduct.
Briefing the EC, the delegation thanked it for transferring an SDM and two SHOs on the complaint of the SAD but said that violations of the model code were continuing ceaselessly.
Giving details, it said that on May 7, the Chief Minister held a press conference on the Shahkot by-poll in his official capacity at the Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh with senior government officials in attendance and carried out a campaign against his own officer – Mehatpur SHO, who was associated with the conduct of Shahkot by-poll.
It said that the Chief Minister also violated the model code by welcoming leaders of other parties into the Congress fold on the occasion.
Dhindsa said that the Chief Minister, in the same official meeting, also functioned as spokesperson of the Congress party and issued a clean chit to Congress candidate Hardev Singh ladi Sherowalia despite the fact that his own police had booked him in an illegal mining case.
He said that Capt Amarinder also talked about phone calls made by Mehatpur SHO Parminder Bajwa to political leaders of SAD and AAP with specific times making it clear that the government was indulging in phone tapping.
The delegation asked the EC to take the entire issue of registration of criminal case against the Congress candidate as well as pressure put on SHO Mehatpur to rescind his decision to register an FIR against Hardev Singh laddi in its own hands.
It also demanded an inquiry into the incidents of phone tapping besides instructions to the State Government not to intimidate officials engaged in poll duty in Shahkot to ensure a free and fair poll.
SAD ASKS EC TO DEPUTE HIGH POWERED TEAM IN SHAHKOT
SAD has asked the Election Commission to depute a high-powered team to Shahkot to ensure free and fair poll following the arrest of SHO Mehatpur Parminder Singh Bajwa on cooked up charges.
SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema, in a communication to CEC, Om Prakash Rawat said that a party delegation had met him on Friday morning and apprised him of efforts being made by the ruling Congress party to demoralize officials posted in Shahkot besides fear that the Mehatpur SHO could be arrested following detention.
“These fears have come true. The SHO has been arrested on trumped up charges because he resisted pressure from the ruling Congress party and registered an illegal mining case against Shahkot by-poll Congress candidate Hardev Singh laadi,” he said.
Asking the EC to intervene in the matter immediately, the SAD leaders said that this was necessary to instill faith in the electoral system amongst officials doing duty in Shahkot.
“By arresting SHO Parminder Bajwa, the Congress government has sent a clear message that it will persecute anyone who tries to go by the law tries to take action against the Congress candidate,” he said.
Asking the EC to intervene in the matter, Cheema said that it should direct the State Government to make him re-join duty at Mehatpur to instill a sense of confidence amongst the voters of Shahkot as well as the entire police force.
POlITICAl PARTIES SHOUlD COOPERATE IN REVISION OF ElECTORAl ROllS: CEO
Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Karuna Raju on Friday appealed to all the political parties of the state to cooperate in the revision process of photo electoral rolls, which will commence from May 15.
A meeting of representatives of all the political parties of the state for the revision of voter lists was convened in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer which was attended by the representatives of the Congress, SAD, Bahujan Samaj Party and Indian Communist Party.
Raju said that the door-to-door revision of the electoral rolls will be done by BlO’s from May 15 to June 20 while the polling stations and buildings will be inspected from June 21 to July 31. Besides, the information regarding printing of electoral rolls and new voters and booths will be updated from August 1 to 31.
CEO appealed to all the representatives of the political parties to inspire and persuade the youth above the age of 18 years to register themselves in the electoral rolls. The political parties’ representative demanded that a lesson regarding the importance of the votes be incorporated in the school education for the next generation and assured full cooperation for the revision process.