Cable war: Akali Dal Patiala leader, 3 others booked for attempt to murder

Aman Sood

Patiala, November 15

The cable war in Punjab is again turning ugly as days after being made the SAD, Patiala (urban) president, party leader Amit Rathi has been booked in an attempt to murder case along with others, who are partners in Fastway Cable. Rathi alleges that the police are acting at the behest of an MLA who is backing the cable mafia and is hell bent to implicate his competitors.

According to the FIR registered on November 13 on a complaint of Gulsher Singh Jeji, a farmer of Nabha, he was returning to his house on Nabha Road after celebrating Diwali at a relative’s house. Police have booked the suspects Gurdeep Ludhiana, Vikas Puri, Sarfaraz Khan and Amit Rathi under various sections of the IPC and Arms Act against.

“My brother and mother stay in Australia and I am unmarried and stay alone. On Diwali night, after returning home I went to my drawing room, when a car stopped near my gate. As I tried to see who was there in the car, one of the persons got out of the car and fired a shot from his pistol,” alleges Jeji in his complaint.

As per the FIR, he alleged that the bullet hit the window of his drawing room and he had a narrow escape. “I informed my brother on the phone and made some inquiries to ascertain as to who could attack me. I suspect the role of Gurdeep, Vikas, Sarfaraz, Amit and some unknown persons,” reads the FIR.

Jeji further said he had been promoting a rival cable company and getting more cable operators to opt for it. “The accused got jealous and hatched a conspiracy to get me killed,” he claimed.

However, terming the FIR as a bundle of lies, Amit said the FIR had been registered at the behest of an MLA who wanted to usurp the cable business and had been using his clout with the local police to frame them. “I am a senior SAD leader and will not get someone killed for business rivalry. Our company is doing good business and there is no need for us to get someone killed,” he said.

Raising objections at the FIR, Amit said when the complainant alleged that he was attacked on Diwali night at 10.30 pm, why did he wait to approach the cops the next night. “We will approach court as the FIR is only aimed to pressurise us,” he stated, adding that a similar FIR against them had been registered a few days back in Sanaur.

Meanwhile, Information and Public Relations Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra has rubbished all allegations levied against AAP MLA.