Farmers Movement Archive

BJP MLA Arun Narang assault case: Punjab police arrest 4, identify 23 out of 300+ named in FIR

BATHINDA/CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police on Sunday arrested four men and identified 23 people who were part of a mob of more than 300 persons that assaulted BJP MLA Arun Narang at Malout town of Muktsar district on Saturday. The police had registered a case under various sections, including attempt to murder charges, against more than 300 persons, including BKU Ekta Sidhupur’s Muktsar district-level functionaries, on Saturday night on the complaint of Muktsar SP (Headquarters) Gurmail Singh, who also sustained injuries in the attack on the Abohar MLA. Muktsar SSP D Sudarvizhi said with the help of video footage and other means, police have arrested four persons identified as Surjit Singh, Nem Pal Singh and Baldev Singh of Bodhiwala village and Gurmeet Singh from Khunan Kalan village. Guv asks for action taken report from Capt govtThe SSP said the police is conducting raids and the other accused persons involved in the attack will be arrested soon. Muktsar SP (investigations) Rajpal Singh had earlier told TOI the cops have collected a lot of video clips and are examining them. The attack, that was strongly criticised by all the political parties in Punjab, was also condemned by the state’s governor VP Singh Badnore on Sunday and he has asked for the action taken report from the Amarinder government. After a Punjab BJP delegation, which included state BJP president Ashwani Sharma and Union minister Som Prakash, met the governor on Sunday, Badnore called up chief minister Amarinder Singh, who is also the state home minister, to convey his serious concern. The governor said the state government authorities cannot allow such blatantly unlawful and violent attacks on anybody and added that these kinds of incidents should not be repeated and asked for strong action to be taken immediately. Protesting the humiliation of the Abohar MLA in Malout, Punjab BJP leaders also staged a sit-in outside the chief minister Captain Amarinder’s Singh’s official residence in Chandigarh on Sunday. The attack on the BJP MLA has also put the farm union leaders are under immense pressure and are facing criticism over the violent attack on the BJP MLA. BKU Ekta Sidhupur president Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose activists were part of the protest, told TOI: “I came back from Delhi two days ago and today visited the area to get first-hand information about the incident. We feel that the incident should have been avoided at all levels, but it is mounting anger which the central government must keep in mind. We surely feel that such incidents cause a loss to the struggle. I will ask activists to keep restraint but sometimes the situation arise that the schooling of thought goes behind and anger comes to fore.” Even Darshan Pal, the leftist ideologue, was clear that violence against BJP leaders would serve no purpose. “We feel this incident was highly unwanted. Time and again, we have asked activists to limit their opposition to spoken words. Getting physical with them will not serve our purpose but anger is rising by the day against the central government but we will never justify such an act. We will introspect about it in the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha meeting on March 30,” Darshan Pal told TOI.

The Times of India

2021-03-29

Chandigarh