Scuffle during SAD MP Harsimrat Badal’s Ferozepur visit

Our Correspondent
Ferozepur, November 10

Things went awry during the visit of former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal here on Wednesday where members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union-Ekta Dakaunda and Congress workers protested at separate places.

The situation became tense when Akalis and farm union leaders accused each other of opening fire and indulging in physical assault.

Harsimrat was here to attend some programmes to drum up support for SAD candidates. Earlier, she went to Hussainiwala to pay respects to martyrs. Later, she arrived in the city where farmers as well as Congress workers protested against her visit. While the Congress leaders were carrying placards questioning the “absence” of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal from his Ferozepur constituency, the unions were reportedly seeking time to meet her to share their grievances.

SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said the police had made all arrangements to prevent any untoward incident but two SAD leaders took a different route without intimation, where they entered into a scuffle with union members. The SSP said both Akali workers and union members alleged assault on their people regarding which the police was recording the statements and verifying information.

Harsimrat alleged the Congress workers had masqueraded as farmers and fired at senior SAD leaders, demanding the accused be booked immediately.

In its press statement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) alleged the farmers were fired upon and five farmers were hit by the vehicle of SAD leaders. The SKM claimed when farmers tried to meet SAD leaders, party leader Vardev Singh Mann allegedly tried to run them over by his vehicle.

Vardev Singh Mann, alias Noni, while refuting the allegations, said he himself had a narrow escape as some Congressmen, in the garb of farmers, fired at him and attacked his vehicle.

MC president Rinku Grover denied the Congress had any role in the incident. Grover said they just wanted to question the absence of Ferozepur MP Sukhbir Badal, who seldom visited the constituency after getting elected from this Lok Sabha segment.