Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday demanded a CBI inquiry into the attack on the cavalcade of the party president Sukhbir Badal a day before at Sangrur. At the same time, the party also demanded registration of cases against the perpetrators, besides initiating action against the police officers who colluded with the assailants and committed dereliction of duty.
“It is clear from video clips, taken on the occasion, that the attack on SAD president had the blessings of the Congress government and the entire incident had been planned and executed at the instance of the Congress party,” said senior SAD leaders Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Daljit Singh Cheema while addressing a joint press conference.
They said that even after the incident, despite the fact that all culprits had been videographed and could be easily identified, the State police had registered bailable cases against unidentified persons.
“The very fact that the State police diluted the charges by refusing to book assailants under Section 307 (attempt to murder) besides not observing the guidelines of the blue book which is compulsory in all such incidents involving Z-plus security proctectees, proves it is working as a wing of the Congress party, said Grewal.
Stating that the SAD would explore all legal options to ensure appropriate punishment for the culprits as well as police officials who sheltered them and even allowed them to break the security cordon of SAD president, Cheema said that the Congress Government on its part, should immediately entrust the case to the CBI for investigation as the State police could not be expected to give justice in the case.
SAD leaders also warned the Congress and the State Government that it was establishing a very dangerous precedent by orchestrating attacks on opposition leaders solely out of nervousness and frustration at being unable to stop the people’s movement building up against it failed to fulfil any of the promises made to the people.