UP cops detain Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa

Chandigarh, October 4

The UP Police today detained a delegation of Punjab ministers and MLAs led by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa in Saharanpur when they were trying to enter the state for visiting the families of the farmers killed at Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday.

Earlier, officials of both states exchanged several letters over permission to state’s chopper to land near Lakhimpur and allow Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi to visit the families. Four farmers were mowed down by a car allegedly driven by son of a minister at Lakhimpur Kheri.

Randhawa and others were forcibly removed from their vehicles, said a spokesperson for the Punjab Government. PCC working president-cum-MLA Kuljit Nagra and legislators Parminder Singh Pinky, Barinder Singh Pahra, Kuldeep Vaid, Kulbir Singh Zira and Angad Singh, who were accompanying Randhawa, were also detained. All of them had taken the land route after the UP Government denied permission to land their helicopter. A spokesperson for the CMO said the UP Government had said in view of the imposition of Section 144, CrPC, it had denied the permission to the Punjab CM and Deputy CM to visit Lakhimpur Kehri. — TNS

Sidhu held, let off

PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu along with party MLAs on Monday staged a protest outside Punjab Raj Bhavan. They were taken into preventive custody by the police before being let off. Sidhu demanded strict action against the killers of farmers and removal of the Union Minister. He also demanded a sedition case against Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar for making provocative remarks.