Cong leader Sangwan accused of assault, traders demand justice

Amid charges and counter-charges, Congress candidate from Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri Assembly constituency and state spokesperson Dr Manisha Sangwan has been accused of getting a local shopkeeper assaulted at his shop.

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The incident was reportedly caught on CCTV, and an audio clip, allegedly linking Sangwan to “vote-buying discussions”, has surfaced online. Meanwhile, the traders' association has come out in support of the “victim” Sunil Kumar, strongly condemning the incident.

Seeking action against the Congress leader, the association has threatened to shut down the town, in case there is no action against Sangwan by tomorrow.

Manisha Sangwan, however, has dismissed the allegations as baseless, saying, "these accusations are part of a political conspiracy and a tactic of blackmailing". Sangwan has called a panchayat meeting to determine her next course of action.

The victim, Sunil Jangra, owner of Bhawani Furniture on Old Jhajjar Road, filed a complaint at the City police station, claiming Sangwan demanded Rs 10 lakh over a dispute about votes. On Monday, a man posing as a customer entered Sunil's shop, followed by a group of 10–12 individuals. They locked the door and began assaulting him. When a worker tried to intervene in the matter, the assailants threatened him with a pistol and suggested injecting Sunil with a sedative.

The attackers allegedly mentioned Sangwan's name during the assault, accusing Sunil of not delivering votes and demanding the return of Rs 10 lakh. Sunil denied any financial dealings with Sangwan. The attackers left in two cars and a bike, threatening Sunil's family. Sunil also provided the police with a call recording of Sangwan, allegedly threatening him on December 24.

City Police Station in-charge Sunil Kumar confirmed receiving the complaint and stated that an investigation was under way.

The traders' association, led by coordinator Ravindra Gupta, met Sunil to discuss the incident. They later submitted the CCTV footage and the viral audio to the police, demanding strict legal action. The association criticised the accusations against Sunil and declared that they would not tolerate such incidents against traders.

Responding to the allegations, Sangwan told The Tribune that the accusations were baseless and a political conspiracy to damage her reputation. She termed it a blackmailing tactic by opponents intimidated by her political presence. Sangwan added that she was consulting her community through a panchayat and would decide her course of action soon.

Notably, in the Haryana Assembly elections, Congress fielded Dr Manisha Sangwan as its candidate from the Dadri constituency. However, she lost to BJP candidate Sunil Satpal Sangwan by a margin of 1,957 votes. Sunil got 65,568 votes, while Manisha secured 63,611 votes.