30 Youth Cong activists rounded up ahead of Sukhbir’s visit

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 19

As many as 30 Congress activists were rounded up ahead of the visit of Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, as they were planning to show black flags to the Deputy CM. Sukhbir was in the city to distribute smart card under a health insurance scheme and to meet industrialists.

The activists of the Youth Congress, led by Parvinder Singh Lapran, Secretary, Punjab Youth Congress, had planned to show the black flags to Sukhbir Singh Badal during his meeting with industrialists at a local marriage place.

The Youth Congress activists blamed Sukhbir Badal for the migration of industry from the state and agrarian crisis.

The police got a tip-off about their plan and rounded up the Congress activists from the office of Parvinder Singh Lapran on Dugari Road. The Congress activists raised slogans against the state government.

Harinder Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, said: “Taking preventive measures, we have rounded up around 30 persons. They have planned to create disturbance in a meeting of the Deputy CM. We released them all after some time”.

After being releasing from police custody, Parvinder Singh Lapran said: “It is the violation of our democratic rights. The police have tried to suppress our voice. We have planned to stage a peaceful protest against the Deputy CM but the police did not allow it”.

The leaders of the Youth Congress alleged that Sukhbir Singh Badal had ruined the industry and agriculture in the state during his tenure of nine years. “We wanted to expose him during his meeting with industrialists,” said Jaskaran Singh, a leader of the Youth Congress.

Activists of the Youth Congress, including Papal Kapoor, Rahul, Vijay Agnihotari, Sukhdeep Sehra, Kuldeep Bunny and Rajat, Davinder Singh, were among prominent persons rounded up by the police.