Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, December 22

The police have booked four persons and arrested one of them for damaging the car of Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Garhshankar with an intention to rob it. The police have recovered a car, bike and sharp-edged weapon used in the incident.

SP (D) Mandeep Singh said Jai Kishan Rodhi, MLA from Garhshankar, was in the car with his driver late on Tuesday night. When they reached near Garhshankar, another car (CH 01 BB 7627) coming from Banga Road tried stopping their car by hitting it. Gauging it to be a carjacking attempt, the MLA’s driver cleverly took out the car, after which the accused broke its front glass. Meanwhile, the MLA’s driver drove away.

The SP said as soon as the information of the incident was received, the district police chief constituted a team to investigate it, in which DSP Sarabjit Singh Rai, DSP Narinder Singh, in-charge of police station Garhshankar Rajeev Kumar and ASI Rachpal Singh were also there. He said the police team started a special operation to nab the accused.

When the police reached near Bagwai Road, they noticed that some persons were trying to rob the car of one Deepak Kumar of Rajdhan after dropping their bike in front. When the accused saw the police, three of them fled in a car. When the police personnel Balveer Singh proceeded to nab the fourth accused, he attacked him with a sharp weapon. His official rifle was damaged in the incident, but the accused was nabbed. SP (D) Mandeep Singh said during primary interrogation of the accused, he has been identified as Jaspreet Singh, alias Jassa, of Seechewal village, police station Lohian, and district Jalandhar.

He said the accused who fled have been identified as Pala, Labbha; alias Kaka, and Mani, all residents of Seechewal, Jalandhar. The SP said a case against the accused has been registered under Sections 307, 379B, 353, 186, 427 and 511 of the IPC.

He said the police teams have been dispatched to various places to nab the absconding accused. He said the one arrested will be produced before the court and interrogated after obtaining the remand after which more revelations are likely to be made.

He said the car, bike and sharp weapon used at the time of the incident have been recovered. In response to a question, he said during the preliminary investigation, it was found that the said incident was done with the intention of robbery, but the police are investigating it.

MLA Jai Kishan Rodi said: “Law and order has collapsed in Punjab. If an MLA can be attacked, how can common people be safe? There were attacks on the ‘Thanedars’ in the Akali-BJP government, and now, an MLA has been attacked in the Congress regime. It is clear that the government has collapsed and hooliganism is increasing. Even going out on roads has become dangerous for people.”