Non-bailable charge against Shahkot Congress MLA Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 12

The Congress appears to have invited trouble by taking on the ruling AAP over the alleged unlawful presence of at least seven of its MLAs in Jalandhar on the day of the Lok Sabha bypoll on May 10.

Congress MLA from Shahkot Hardev S Laddi Sherowalia, who had gone live on Facebook on May 10 after he “gheraoed” AAP MLA from Baba Bakala Dalbir Singh Tong at Roopewal village and got him booked under Section 188 of the IPC, has also been booked for a non-bailable offence.

The FIR against Laddi was lodged on a complaint of the driver of Tong’s escort Gypsy, Gagandeep Arora.

Laddi has been booked along with 12 others under Sections 341, 186, 353 and 148 of the IPC. Section 353 is a non-bailable offence.

According to the FIR, Tong’s driver stated that they were going from Baba Bakala to Sultanpur Lodhi via Nakodar. “There was a traffic jam at Malsian Chowk owing to which we chose to take a route via Roopewal village when Laddi and his men gheraoed us. They snatched the keys of our Gypsy and interfered in the discharge of our official duty. All of them were acting at the behest of MLA Laddi,” the driver’s statement reads.

Meanwhile, Laddi, accompanied by senior Congress leaders, met Jalandhar Rural SSP Mukhwinder Bhullar. The SSP said a special investigation team (SIT) would be formed as per the directions of Jalandhar Range DIG Swapan Sharma to look into the issue.

The Congress leaders claimed that the driver was not a policeman and the Gypsy he was driving was a private vehicle. “Hence, Sections 186 and 353 can’t be imposed. The complainant in such a case can only be lodged by a government employee. This FIR won’t stand,” they said.

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