Alka Lamba appears before Ropar police, Congress protests

Ropar, April 27

High drama prevailed when Congress leader Alka Lamba, who was summoned over a case of “inflammatory statements” against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, reached here to join the investigation at the Sadar police station. Alleging vendetta politics, the Congress protested at the Senior Superintendent of Police’s office over the matter.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Partap Bajwa, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former Cabinet Ministers Balbir Singh Sidhu, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sukhbinder Sarkaria and Girkirat Singh Kotli and former Speaker Rana KP Singh among others participated in the dharna. A heavy police force was deployed at the mini-secretariat housing the SSP office as well as the police station.

As a large number of Congress workers, led by Punjab Youth Congress president Barinder Singh Dhillon, climbed on the locked main gate of the mini-secretariat to jump inside, the police let the senior party leaders to enter the SSP office. PCC former chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was also present on the occasion. He, however, neither participated in the dharna nor met any Congress leader present there.

The district police had booked renowned poet Kumar Vishwas and Lamba on April 12 after AAP vice-president (youth wing) of Ropar Narinder Singh lodged a complaint alleging that “he and AAP supporters accompanying him during his visits to villages were called Khalistanis by masked men, and it happened after inflammatory statements by the two against AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on TV channels and social media platforms.

Both the accused had been asked to appear in person before a three-member Special Investigation Team at 10 am on April 26 here. While Vishwas moved the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR, the date for appearance of Lamba was postponed to April 27.

When protesting Congress leaders, including Lamba entered the SSP office, he was not present there. Warring announced that they would not leave the place before meeting the SSP. “It is completely against the law that the purported incidents for which Lamba is being targeted date back to election days when the Election Commission of India was in command,” Warring claimed.

Lamba, however, was informed by the police that she would not be questioned today as the file related to the case was taken to Punjab and Haryana High Court due to a petition by Vishwas.

Later, Lamba visited the Sadar police station in the afternoon to mark her appearance. Ropar Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Harbir Singh Atwal, who is supervising the SIT, said the police would inform the next date of appearance to Lamba.

At dharna site, Sidhu doesn’t join party men

• Though present at the dharna site, PCC ex-chief Navjot Singh Sidhu did not join the party protest, nor did he meet any party leader
• Slamming the AAP government, Sidhu alleged the Punjab Police were being misused to settle old scores with Opposition leaders

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