High drama as cops try to arrest Cong worker

High drama witnessed at Jawahar Nagar Camp on Wednesday where Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu had a minor clash with police officials as the latter came to arrest a Congress worker. Ashu did not let police officials to pick the worker.

The Congress leader said when one of the Congress workers spotted a AAP volunteer distributing ration and other freebies to seek votes for AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora and called the police, the latter instead of registering a complaint, tried to arrest him (the Congress worker).

“I got to know about the development as the party worker’s father called me. Afterwards, I reached the place where I noticed the police manhandling the Congress worker and trying to put him in the police vehicle. I stopped the police officials, who also misbehaved with me, and saved him from being picked up in a false case,” Ashu said.

He said instead of taking action against the AAP worker who was caught with ration on a Honda Activa scooter, the police officials came to arrest the complainant. “The Congress worker had lodged a police complaint regarding distribution of ration but instead of taking action against the AAP worker, the police came to arrest the Congress worker from his house. The Congress will not tolerate it,” he said while warning such police officials and telling them that these days everything was recorded on cameras.

“You cannot escape the law of the land and we will hold you to account,” he told them.

The senior Congress leader said each and every polling booth would have regular monitoring on Thursday by people. “I have urged everyone that wherever they notice anything going wrong, record it and share the video with me,” he said.

While warning erring cops, he said: “Don’t create evidence against yourself”.

Meanwhile, SHO, Police Division 5, Bikramjit Singh, who came to arrest the Congress worker, said: “The police had received a complaint that a man who was taking ration for his home was cornered by a person acting as a Congress worker and the latter claimed that the man was distributing ration at the behest of a political party.

The person had fled the scene after abandoning his scooter fearing threat to his life and later, he lodged a police complaint. The police party had come to investigate the complaint.

Ashu files complaint against police

Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu lodged a complaint against the Commissioner of Police (CP) with the Election Commission for compromising the integrity of the electoral process in the constituency. He alleged that there was an orchestrated and brazen misuse of official position, state machinery and local administration — all seemingly working in tandem to favour Aam Aadmi Party candidate Sanjeev Arora.

Ashu stated in the complaint that the CP, along with his subordinates, including the DCP, ADCP, SHOs, and CID units, has been actively engaged in intimidating and threatening Congress workers and local councillors. It includes registration of false FIRs, illegal detentions and preventive actions, even in cases where courts have already granted bail — amounting to contempt of court and grave violations of fundamental rights.

He alleged that local police officers, sitting MLAs, councillors and other government officials were openly aiding in the distribution of cash, liquor, gifts and various inducements to influence voters in favour of the AAP candidate. These acts are in clear and repeated violation of the poll code and provisions under the Representation of the People Act.

Ashu alleged that the CP was previously transferred from his posting in Jalandhar for similar allegations of misconduct and bias.