Cong parades Akali MLA’s ‘victims’

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, July 26

The PPCC today publicly paraded victims of the alleged high-handedness of Akali legislator GS Babbehali during the Jan Sampark rally held here today.

The Congress had asked general secretary Raman Bahl to organise the proceedings. He pulled of a coup of sorts by lining up three of the MLA’s victims on the dais.

The move had the approval of senior PPCC leaders, including CLP leader Charanjit Channi, IYC president Raja Warring, MLAs Raj Kumar Verka and Sangat Singh Gilzian.

To ensure that a law and order problem did not crop up, the police were also taken into confidence.

Bahl added that PPCCchief Capt Amarinder Singh too had been informed of the decision.

The gathering was told how the MLA, over the years, had used his influence to virtually play around with their lives of people who did not toe his line.

Harjinder Singh, former sarpanch of Got Pokhar. Bahl, claimed that he had been tortured by the police allegedly at the behest of the MLA. “Several cases have been slapped against me. I was sent to jail for no fault of mine. The legislator is behind all this,” he said.

Mamta, a local resident, claimed that her in-laws, who were close to the legislator, were regularly beating her up for no fault of her. Babbehali could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.