‘Arrest Bains’: Akalis protest outside Ashu’s office in Punjab, try to break barricades

LUDHIANA: High drama was witnessed outside the office of cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Wednesday, when leaders and workers of Shiromani Akali Dal gathered there to protest to seek arrest of Lok Insaaf Party MLA Simarjit Singh Bains, who has been booked in a rape case.
The Akali leaders alleged that the Congress government has failed to take timely action against Bains, as earlier there was a delay in the registration of the case and now the cops were not arresting him. The protesters alleged that Ashu was saving Bains.
Heavy police force was deployed around the residence and the office of the cabinet minister for controlling the protesters. The situation turned tense when agitators tried to break the barricades and the cops used force and resorted to cane charge to stop them from crossing the line.
SAD leaders like Ranjit Dhillon, Manpreet Singh Manna and others tried to climb over the barricades. As they were being stopped, a few of them fell on the road.
After the hour-long face-off between police and protestors, the Akali leaders courted arrest and started sitting in a police van. The situation took a comical turn when cops told them that the police van will not go anywhere as its tyres were flat. The Akali workers then stepped out and started leaving the spot. The cops remained there even after the protest got over. A fire tender and ambulances were stationed at the site to avoid any untoward incident.
Senior Akali leaders Hira Singh Gabria and Maheshinder Singh Grewal said, “The woman had to approach the court for justice because police did not take action on her complaint despite many protests outside the police commissioner’s office. We will keep on waking up the government from its slumber for justice and arrest of the accused.”
On behalf of Ashu, Congress councillor Mamta Ashu said, “The police were doing their work. The matter is in court and no one can give shelter to anybody. Moreover, SAD leader Harish Rai Dhandha had his own political interests in this case, so he was maligning the image of Ashu as well, but he will not succeed in his intentions.”
Gabria feels uneasy
During protest, senior SAD leader Hira Singh Gabria felt uneasy and cops had to take him away in their vehicle to Sarabha Nagar police station. As he was about to faint, cops helped him sit in the car. On learning about it, Congress councillor Mamta Ashu went to the police station to inquire about his health.
Division among SAD supporters
During protest, the SAD supporters looked a divided lot. Before the arrival of the senior leadership, the junior leaders had started raising slogans. Senior SAD leader Gabria and district president Ranjit Singh Dhillon, along with their supporters, were seen as one group, while other leaders came later. After an unwell Gabria was taken away, half of the workers left the protest site.