Tarn Taran bypoll: EC summons Punjab DGP over FIRs against Akali Dal workers

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has summoned the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) on November 25 in connection with the registration of nine FIRs against Shiromani Akali Dal workers during the Tarn Taran bypoll campaign.

EC sources told the Tribune that the summons follows the commission’s review of a report submitted by the DGP on November 13, a day before the bypoll results were declared.

The FIRs were allegedly registered in a “coordinated manner” at four locations across Punjab — Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Moga, and Batala.

Punjab Police, through the DGP, had submitted a confidential sealed report prepared by ADGP Ram Singh to the ECI, which reportedly justified the actions of former Tarn Taran SSP Ravjot Kaur Grewal, who was suspended by the poll body on November 8.

A separate report by Election Observer for Tarn Taran constituency Shyni S, an Odisha cadre IPS officer, has reportedly implicated the former SSP in the arrests, highlighting the coordinated FIRs across districts and the insufficient time between FIR registration and arrests to justify police action.

The report raised “serious concerns about impartiality of law enforcement during the election period.”

Of the nine FIRs, four workers were arrested while six were named in the cases. The issue of alleged targeting was raised by the Shiromani Akali Dal before the ECI.

Earlier, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Punjab had sought a reply from the DIG Ferozepur Range, who exonerated former SSP Ravjot Kaur, stating the arrests were part of ongoing investigations. The ECI then directed the CEO, Sibin C, to take the matter up again with the DGP.

In a letter to the DGP, the Chief Electoral Officer wrote, “…I am directed by the ECI to convey to you to review all alleged wrongful registration of cases and arrests during MC by a senior officer not below the rank of ADGP and take necessary action as per law within 36 hours. The compliance report in the form of action taken on the above direction may be sent to the undersigned for submission to the ECI.”