Cong groups at odds in Moga

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, December 22

A large number of Congress workers staged a protest against the local police accusing them of illegally detaining three youths of Daala village. The protesters held a dharna on a link road and blocked the traffic for many hours on Saturday.

The protest was led by Baljinder Singh Balli, vice-president of the Moga district unit of the Congress. He alleged that the police were harassing innocent people over political rivalries in the panchayat elections to benefit particular influential groups of the Congress.

The protest, which indicated fissures within the ruling party, emerged out of local political rivalry. The rejection of some nomination papers had triggered the protest.

Yesterday, another group of Congress workers, all residents of Daala village, had protested outside the returning officer’s office in Moga, against the rejection of nomination papers of three women candidates. While their protest was on, the other group came on the spot and they clashed with each other.

A section of the village people alleged that the youths detained by the police actively took part in the yesterday’s protest, following which they were picked up by the cops at the behest of rival group.

DSP Ajay Raj Singh and SHO Dilbagh Singh reached the spot and promised to release the detained youths, following which the dharna was lifted.