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Danda Raj
in Punjab: Local polls soaked in blood
WSN Network
 MLA’s car
torched; Akalis stab Congman
It was a near
mayhem in the Majha belt comprising comprising Amritsar, Gurdaspur
and Tarn Taran as workers of alliance partners SAS and BJP engaged
in bloddy clashes on the polling day. A Congress worker became the
first casulty of the panchayat polls as he was brutally killed while
at least 50 others were injured in various incidents of violence on
polling day.
Earlier in the
night, Akali MLA Harmeet Singh Sandhu was booked after he led armed
supporters against a group of BJP work ers herded by
Amritsar
(North) MLA Anil Joshi, giving away the changing dynamics of the
relationship between the alliance partners. At least 15 supporters
from both the parties sustained injuries.
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Akali worker dies trying to prevent clash
AKALI WORKER
Shamsher Singh (65) died while trying to stop a clash during the
Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in the district, even
as allegations of booth capturing and rigging were levelled against
the ruling SAD-BJP alliance.
The clash took
place between SAD and Congress candidates from the Doomchheri Zone
of the Morinda Panchayat Samiti, along with their supporters, at a
polling station at Doomchheri village this morning. Akali worker
Shamsher Singh of Doomchheri village, who had come to cast his vote,
tried to stop the clash. However, he collapsed and died after
receiving blows.
Trouble
reportedly started when a woman sought the assistance of polling
staff and agents for casting her vote. The SAD polling agent
reportedly guided her, which was objected to by Congress candidate
Tarlochan Singh and his supporters. Thereafter, Tarlochan Singh and
SAD candidate Harminder Singh Dimpi, accompanied by their
supporters, clashed with each other and exchanged blows. Meanwhile,
Nangal MLA Rana K.P . Singh alleged that the ruling SAD BJP alliance
had indulged in largescale rigging and manipulation of the PRI
elections in the Nangal Assembly constituency.
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A case under
sections 307, 427, 148, 149 of IPC and sections 25, 27, 54, 59 of
the Arms Act has been registered against Sandhu. In another
incident, Akali supporters allegedly fired at a Congress candidate
in fray at Yogi Cheema in Gurdaspur district. Sukhdev Singh escaped
with injuries.
The Doburji
police post staff hailed down the vehicle of BJP leader Prabhjit
Rataul with a red beacon atop, which set off the row. Violent
clashes were also reported at Tera Rajputan, Fattewal, Sudhar,
Zafarkot and Bhindi Saidan in Ajnala assembly segment, where more
than 20 persons were injured.
Cop assaulted
by MLA
SAD MLA Balbir
Singh Bath allegedly assaulted a head constable, Gurinder Singh, on
duty at polling booth no 85 of Kishankot in Srihargobindpur segment.
The cop reportedly invited the wrath of the MLA for objecting to
blatant proxy voting.
‘Rigging’
mars Moga polls
MORE THAN 12
persons were injured, two of them seriously, while a large number of
incidents of attack on polling staff and Congressmen were reported
in elections to Moga Zila Parishads and Block Samitis on Monday.
While there was
66 per cent voter turnout as per official figures, the Congress
alleged the use of police machinery and booth capturing, besides
bogus voting. The party said booth 108 at Kot Isse Khan was captured
by Akalis, crippling the polling process for hours together and it
resumed after interference by high officials. Congress Zila Parishad
candidate from Kot Isse Khan Vijay Dhir was also roughed up, and the
police he claimed remained mute spectators when the Akalis indulged
in booth capturing in Dharamkot and Kot Isse Khan areas.
Two journalists
were also injured after they were beaten up by Akalis at Kot Isse
Khan while taking shots of booth capturing. In another clash between
Akali and Congress supporters at Fatehgarh Korotona, Akali worker
Gursewak Singh was injured after Congress Sarpanch Jaswinder Singh
opened fire at him with a pistol. Gursewak has been referred to
Ludhiana
in a serious condition.
Cong asks for
shelving PRI results till May 22 bypoll
Congress appears
to be enjoying the ongoing tussle between the ruling alliance
partners and is trying to make the most from the situation. Pradesh
Congress Committee (PPCC) has urged the Election Commission to
postpone declaration of results of the Panchayati Raj Institution
elections till May 23 in view of the byelection to be held in the
Amritsar
(South) constituency on May 22.
In a
communication to Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami, PPCC
spokesman Bir Devinder Singh said the PRI elections were being
contested on party symbols by all major parties, “therefore the
results will have a direct bearing on the prospects of the
candidates in the Amritsar byelection”.
Precedent has it
that results were withheld till all elections being held within a
short time in different areas were concluded, he pointed out.
Expressing fears of rigging by the SAD, Bir Devinder said there were
“disturbing reports” of unprecedented violence by Akali musclemen
from all over the state today SAD workers did . not spare even the
coalition partner BJP he , said. “Last night, the car of BJP MLA
Anil Joshi was burnt by them. Two senior BJP ministers, Manoranjan
Kalia and Laxmi Kanta Chawla, too have condemned the violence by
Akali workers, which vindicates the warnings issued earlier by the
Congress that the Akalis would indulge in rigging and violence not
only in the PRI polls but also in Amritsar byelection,” he added.
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No restrain
for party supporters
Though both SAD
and BJP leadership in the state tried their best not to let the
situation go out of hand, activists of both the parties appeared fed
up with the restrain as they went for each other’s jagular. In
Bhatinda district five BJP leaders, including DP Chandan, were
seriously injured in an attack by Akali activists at Harnam Singh
Wala village in Rampura Phul.
There was a
tough fight between the Akali and BJP candidates from Harnam Singh
Wala. The BJP top leadership preempted trouble and assigned Chandan
the task to monitor the situation. He is the vice-chairman of the
small-scale industries board and enjoys the status of a state
minister.
When Chandan,
accompanied by other party leaders reached the village, he was
attacked by about 100 armed Akali workers. The attackers brutally
beat them up and even chased them to the fields. Besides Chandan,
BJP leaders injured in the attack were Navin Singla, Mohit Gupta,
Amanpreet Kaka and Sunita Gautam. They were rushed to the Bathinda Civil Hospital.
SMO Charanjit Garg said the leaders had received serious injuries
and fractures.
Hundreds of BJP
workers gathered at the hospital and raised slogans against Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir in the presence of
Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia. They demanded that the
party withdraw support to the Akalis.
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Badal’s
stronghold no better
RIGGING AND
violence marred the Zila Parishad and block samiti elections in
Muktsar, Gidderbaha and Malout areas too At least 15 Congress
workers and three Shiromani Akali Dal loyalists were injured in
clashes at villages in the three blocks.
Over 15 Akali
supporters tried to capture booths at Kotli Dewan village but were
thrashed by Congress workers. Eyewitnesses said later at 2 pm,
around 60 armed Akali workers tried to capture the booth. They
opened fire when they were challenged by Congress workers, who
returned the fire. Eight Congress and three Akali workers were
injured in the clash. As the firing con tinued, voters fled the
school.
The Akalis later
captured the booth and took away ballot boxes with them. Two boxes
were recovered by the police from a field. Booths were also captured
at Udekaran village from where district SAD chief Manjit Singh
Barkandi’s son Kanwarjeet Singh
14
May,
2008
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