Congress’s Choudhary Lal Singh booked on poll eve for criminal intimidation, defamation

Jammu, April 18

An FIR has been registered against Congress candidate Choudhary Lal Singh under various sections of the IPC for alleged misbehaviour with a police party in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district two days ago, an official said on Thursday.

The FIR against Singh was registered at Kathua police station on Tuesday following a written complaint by Sub-Inspector Swarn Singh Manhas, in-charge police post Industrial Estate Kathua, the official said.

He said that four sections of IPC, including section 353 (obstructing the duty of a public servant by assault or use of criminal force), section 500 (punishment for defamation), section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), were included in the FIR.

Kathua is part of the Udhampur parliamentary constituency going to polls in the first phase on Friday to seal the fate of Singh, Union Minister Jitendra Singh and 10 others.

In his complaint, the police official said that he was performing official duty along with other officials at Kalibari Chowk in Kathua on April 16 during the road show of the contesting candidate when he started shouting at him and other deployed police officials with “intention to defame” them publicly.

“He has intentionally insulted us publicly, used unparliamentary language thereby causing injury to my reputation as well as to the police organisation. He also defamed, criminally intimidated, threatened me and caused obstruction in the discharge of lawful duties. So, it is, therefore, requested that cognisance in this regard may kindly be taken,” the official said, quoting the FIR.