AAP workers attacked, hospitalised

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana August 19

Over a two-dozen assailants armed with sharp weapons and baseball bats, barged into a garment store in Phullanwal area and started attacking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers here today. AAP workers sustained grievous injuries in the incident.

As per the victims, Congress leader Hridypal Singh Dhindsa, along with 30 other accomplices, was booked by the Sadar police on the charge of attempt to murder and other relevant sections of the IPC.

Those injured have been identified as Mandeep Singh Sekhon (37), his brother Amar Singh Happy Sekhon and their friend Harwinder Singh, all residents of Phullanwal.

The incident occurred around 3pm, when around a dozen cars stopped outside the garment store, reportedly owned by the brother duo. The car borne miscreants were carrying sharp weapons, baseball bats and sticks. They first vandalised the shop, broke the entrance glass, damaged the interiors, LCD and other showroom furniture and later assaulted them.

Eyewitnesses said over two dozen accomplices cornered both brothers and their friend at the showroom and brutally injured them. The incident ran for over 10 minutes, despite the market being open and several shopkeepers and other villagers witnessing the incident, but nobody dared to intervene.

“How could have we intervened and confronted the assailants who were armed? They would have attacked us as well,” a shopkeeper, who witnessed the entire incident, said.

The mother of the two victims, Balbir Kaur, said her son had come home for lunch around 2.15 pm and he left for the shop within half-an-hour. The moment he left, she was informed by someone that their shop was vandalized and her sons were lying in a pool of blood in the shop.

“We immediately went to the shop and found that my sons were lying in a pool of blood. They were immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital for treatment,” she said.

On being asked if their sons had any political rivalry with Dhindsa, who is a Congress leader, she said her sons belong to AAP and the main assailant Dhindsa belong to Congress, but the duo did not have any political rivalry.

ACP Sadar Ramandeep Singh Bhullar said after recording the statement of the victims, an attempt to murder case was being registered against the assailants. About the condition of the victims, the ACP said injuries were grievous, but they were said to be stable. “Hridypal Singh Dhindsa along with over two dozen unidentified accomplices have been booked. We are conducting raids at their suspected hideouts,” the ACP said.

AAP workers attacked due to political rivalry: AAP spokesperson

Darshan Singh Shankar, state media cell spokesperson told Ludhiana Tribune that Hridypal attacked Happy and others due to political rivalry. Happy played a pivotal role in campaigning during the recent Assembly polls, due to which Hridypal, who is in the Congress Kisan Cell, was not in good terms with him. 

“Today neighbouring shopkeepers were installing a water disposal pipe outside AAP leader Happy’s shop, but Congress leader stopped him from doing so. AAP worker intervened and asked the Congress leader not to intervene in the issue. However, the Congress leader exchanged heated arguments and threatened him of dire consequences. In no time, the Congress leader along with his over two dozen armed accomplices arrived and attacked Happy,” Shankar said. 

Senior AAP leader Jivan Singh Sangowal, AAP district president Daljit Singh Bhola Grewal reached the spot and condemned the incident.