Both Raju and Luvjit Singh have been arrested. (Representational) The police arrested two persons, including a farmer union leader, Monday in connection with the alleged attack on BJP candidate from Ludhiana’s Gill constituency Sucha Ram Ladhar late on Sunday. This, however, sparked protests as a group of farmers from the area sat on a dharna in front of the Sadar police station and demanded the release of the union leader.
Ladhar, former IAS officer, had to be admitted to hospital after he sustained injuries when a group of people attacked his car allegedly with sticks and rods Sunday evening. The 63-year-old was returning from village Kheri in his constituency after campaigning.
On Ladhar’s statement, a case was registered against Jagwinder Singh Raju, circle head of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) of from Himanyunpur village and Luvjeet Singh of Kheri village along with 20 other unidentified others at Sadar police station under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 506 (criminal intimindation) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of IPC and section 3 of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Both Raju and Luvjit Singh have been arrested.
In his statement to the police, Ladhar said that initially two men had entered the house one Gurmukh Singh Gora where he was holding a poll meeting. He alleged that the duo made casteist remarks against him. Ladhar claimed that as he was leaving the village in his car, the accused gheroed his vehicle and started raising slogans in favor of the Congress.
“They vandalized the car with sticks and rods. They attacked me with an intention to kill,” he said in the complaint, claiming that he later got to know that the accused were “AAP workers but raised slogans in favor of Congress to create confusion”.
Meanwhile, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) members staged a protest outside Sadar police station.
General secretary of outfit’s Ludhiana unit, Sudagar Singh Ghudani, said, “Our activists had gone to the spot to question Ladhar on farm issues. When he failed to answer, the activists opposed him but later workers of some political parties vandalized his vehicle. Raju did not attack Ladhar and has been wrongly booked for attempt to murder”.
Ghudani said that senior police officials have asked for two days’ time following which they lifted the protest.
Ladhar, meanwhile, said that the group that attacked him was raising the issue of cancellation of FIRs registered against farmers during year-long agitation at the borders of Delhi. “I am ready to answer each question but no one has given a license to BKU to open attack. They resorted to hooliganism and said that they won’t allow us to hold the campaign meeting. How can someone stop a candidate from canvassing?”
Ladhar was vociferous in opposition to farm laws and joined BJP after they were rolled back. He had even floated an outfit Kirti Kisan Sher-e-Punjab.
Ludhiana joint commissioner of police (rural) Ravcharan Singh Brar said, “Prima facie, the violence was related to political rivalry. The candidate did not receive any major injuries.”
Gill is a reserved constituency from where Ladhar is pitted against sitting Congress MLA Kuldip Singh Vaid, former MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik of SAD and Jiwan Singh Sangowal of AAP.
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