A day after Punjab Police served notices to Congress leader Alka Lamba and poet-cum-politician Kumar Vishwas for “inflammatory” remarks against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on Thursday written to the state Director General of Police VK Bhawra requesting him to cancel the FIRs (First Information Reports) registered against the two leaders.
Ropar Police, on Wednesday, had issued summons to former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas under various charges for his remarks against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in an interview in run up to Punjab Assembly elections earlier this year. Summons were also served to Congress leader Alka Lamba to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Sadar Rupnagar police station on April 26 on the same charges.
“The content of the FIR, based on the complaint of someone whose identity is still not known to anyone, makes it obvious that it has only been registered to settle a personal score with these people as they have been critical of Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal,” said the PPCC in the letter.
It added, “This is not just misuse of power and authority, but total abuse of power. Needless to add, this FIR will not stand any legal security with the likelihood of the concerned police officers getting censured for their action aimed at pleasing their political bosses remotely based in Delhi.”
Opposition parties have attacked the Punjab government, accusing it of misusing the police for political vendetta.
A case had been lodged against Vishwas under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153, 153-A and 505, among others. As per the police, the complainant said that when he was touring villages along with supporters of AAP to redress the grievances of locals, a few masked men stopped them and called them "Khalistanis."
The complaint also stated that such incidents had been occurring elsewhere too after Vishwas issued "inflammatory" statements against CM Kejriwal, claiming that he had links with separatist forces.