Jalandhar: FIR against five AAP workers for vandalising Sushil Rinku, Sheetal Angural boards

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, March 28

Some AAP workers have been booked for vandalising/uprooting the signboards bearing the names of Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku and Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural during protests against them on Wednesday after they joined the BJP.

BJP plans roadshow

Triumphant after the welcoming into their fold AAP’s twin leaders — lone AAP Lok Sabha MP in the state Sushil Rinku and the Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural — the BJP has planned a huge roadshow on Friday. The road show will start from the Workshop Chowk and end at the Ambedkar Chowk in Jalandhar and the twin party entrants will be welcomed with flowers in the presence of BJP leaders.

Fresh complaint against aap leaders

BJP made a fresh complaint to Jalandhar DC on Thursday, seeking action against AAP leaders who put up “Punjab De Gaddar” (traitors of Punjab) posters against new BJP joinees and former AAP leaders. BJP district president Sushil Sharma demanded action against AAP leaders who put up these posters 'illegally'. The plaint also sought seizure of machinery and paraphernalia used for printing.

An FIR has been registered against five AAP workers at the police station No. 5 in Jalandhar under Sections 283 (danger or obstruction in public way) and 427 (committing mischief and causing loss or damage), and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The action comes in the wake of a complaint by BJP leaders to the ECI, Jalandhar Commissioner of Police and Jalandhar DC on Wednesday against AAP workers and leaders.

Notably, a video of AAP workers dabbing red ink on the boards and uprooting them had gone viral on social media. The video was submitted by BJP leaders in their formal complaint to the authorities, alleging violation of the model code of conduct.

In a complaint to the Punjab Chief Election Officer and Jalandhar DC and CP, BJP’s Jalandhar general secretaries Ashok Sareen Hicky, Rajesh Kapoor and Amarjit Singh Goldy sought action against AAP workers for blocking roads, breaking boards and causing inconvenience to people, in violation of the model code of conduct.

They appealed to the ECI, CP and DC to act against AAP minister Balkar Singh, MLA Raman Arora, leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara and district urban president Amritpal Singh for blocking the road during the protest from Babu Jagjivan Ram Chowk and for burning effigies and marching to the homes of MP and MLA, in violation of the model code of conduct.

However, the police said only those AAP workers who were visible in the video had been booked, and that no senior leader mentioned in the BJP complaint were seen in the video.

Jalandhar Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma said, “An FIR in this regard was registered yesterday at the police station number 5 and the ECI has also been notified regarding the same. The FIR was registered against AAP workers, as per video graphic evidence.”

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