Barala on Jats’ target: ‘Probe his role in attack on Malik’

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 18

A day after he met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi, Jat leader Yashpal Malik today addressed a mammoth “Jan Aakrosh” rally in Fatehabad, the home district of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala.

Attended by prominent leaders of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) from all 22 districts, the rally passed resolutions demanding a judicial or CBI probe into Barala’s role in the attack on their leader at the August 14 rally in Samain village (in Tohana constituency represented by Barala) and the arrest of khap leader Sube Singh Samain and his men.

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Demanding that a DSP and an SHO be suspended and booked for “patronising” the assailants, a defiant samiti resolved to continue holding constituency-level meetings till the government fulfilled its assurances made to the AIJASS on March 19. It decided to hold a “Bhai-chara Rally” in Jhajjar on August 27.

Meanwhile, the Fatehabad police today arrested three persons in connection with the attack. Tohana DSP Shamsher Singh Dahiya said the accused — Parveen, Baljit and Shamsher — were sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a local court.

Malik claimed AIJASS leaders had evidence that the attack at Samain was engineered by Barala in connivance with police personnel. “We have handed over to the Fatehabad SP  a list of 36 persons, among them are Samain and Bharat Singh Beniwal, who were behind the attack. We want all of them arrested,” he said.

Barala denied any role in the attack. Expressing surprise, he remarked: “Malik has visited Tohana in the past as well. As BJP state president, the entire state, and not merely Tohana, is my constituency.”