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Sting ops, sleaze and phone tapping: How Punjab bypoll is turning into a high-voltage drama

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Although a triangular political contest, the Shahkot by-election has turned into an ugly clash between the Congress govt and a local police officer.

Chandigarh: It was expected to be a quiet assembly bypoll, far from the heat and dust of the Karnataka elections. But the 28 May Shahkot bypoll in Punjab — a triangular contest between the three major parties in the state — has instead turned into a direct and dirty clash between the Congress government in the state on one side and a local police officer on the other.

The murky battle, which has sting operations and allegations of sleaze and phone tapping flying all around, has the government hot under the collar and the opposition making the most of it. An embarrassed government has written to the Election Commission seeking removal of the police officer from poll duty even as he “promised” to arrest the Congress candidate for the latter’s alleged involvement in illegal sand mining.

The Shahkot bypoll was necessitated by the death of former Akali minister Ajit Singh Kohar in February. His son, Naib Singh Kohar, is contesting this by-election.

However, the Congress announced its candidate — Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia — virtually at the last minute due to the rush of ticket seekers. Laddi was the Congress candidate in the 2017 assembly polls and had lost to Kohar by almost 5,000 votes.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has named Rattan Singh, 62, as its candidate.

A sting operation

A fortnight before his name was announced on 3 May, a sting video of Laddi allegedly talking of “adjusting” his men in illegal sand mining on a piece of land in a Jalandhar village went viral. Various ticket hopefuls of Congress were considered to be behind the move. Laddi explained that he was talking about adjusting local labourers in the legal mining operations in the village.

When the video did not stop the Congress high command from fielding him as their candidate, the Akalis lodged a complaint with the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) alleging Laddi’s involvement in illegal mining. The complaint was forwarded by the CEO to district authorities seeking a report on the allegations within 24 hours.

Congress candidate booked

In the early hours of 4 May, station house officer (SHO) of Mehatpur Parminder Pal Singh Bajwa, booked him on the complaint forwarded by the CEO.

Bajwa had been removed as SHO on 28 April following a complaint from Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh, but was brought back to the post on 3 May, a day before he booked Laddi.

A copy of Parminder Pal Singh Bajwa, station house officer (SHO) of Mehatpur 's resignation | Theprint.in
A copy of the resignation letter of Parminder Pal Singh Bajwa, station house officer (SHO) of Mehatpur | ThePrint.in

Within hours of the FIR being lodged, the SHO wrote a resignation letter to his boss, SSP Jalandhar (rural) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar: “I know you are under very (sic) pressure of sitting government. Please accept my resignation or put me on absence from today.”

A copy of resignation withdrawl letter by SHO Bajwa | Theprint.in
A copy of resignation withdrawal letter by SHO Bajwa | ThePrint.in

Later in the day, Bajwa withdrew the letter saying he “wanted to continue with his job”. Thereafter, he proceeded on leave shifting from his house into a hotel where he said he felt “safe as there are cameras all around”.

SHO’s CCTV footage

Two days after this drama unfolded, a TV channel showed CCTV footage of a Jalandhar-based five-star hotel where the SHO allegedly stayed from 3 May to 5 May with a woman. Based on the TV report, Laddi complained against the SHO to the CEO alleging that the SHO was in a hotel when he registered an FIR against him.

“The lodging of the FIR against me is a well planned conspiracy and my stand has been vindicated. I am not involved in illegal mining in anyway,” said Laddi.

Addressing a press conference Monday, chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh said the SHO had booked Laddi at the behest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sukhpal Khaira and senior Akali leader Dr Daljit Cheema.

“Both Khaira and Cheema talked to the SHO over the phone the day the case was registered,” the CM claimed. He said he cannot take any action against Bajwa because the model code of conduct was in place.

The CM, however, said he was also trying to find out how Bajwa managed to get posted as SHO again after being removed.

Opposition alleges tapping

Khaira and Cheema alleged that the government was tapping their phones to keep a tab on who they were talking to. Cheema demanded the government make public the entire call record of the SHO of the past few days.

Khaira said it was a “very clever ploy” of the CM to deflect serious allegations of illegal mining against Laddi. The Akalis also complained to the CEO that Amarinder Singh had violated the code of conduct by holding a press conference about the bypoll.

The government Tuesday rejected charges of unauthorized tapping of phones, alleging that a “major political conspiracy” was afoot against the Congress ahead of the Shahkot by-election. The government also urged the election commission to take cognisance of its request for immediate transfer of SHO Mehatpur in the “interest of free and fair by-poll”.

Outspoken SHO

Meanwhile, the SHO has promised to arrest Laddi. “Please access my call details of that day. I talked to several senior officers before registering the FIR but they told me they had no time. So I did what I thought was right,” he told reporters.

“I called Cheema and Khaira after the FIR was registered because I wanted their protection. I was receiving threats from Laddi,” he added.

“Whom I stayed with in a hotel is my personal life…If I am allowed to join duty, I will arrest Laddi as he is thoroughly involved in illegal mining,” the police officer maintained.

On Friday, dressed in civilian clothes, Bajwa reached the premises of a local court in Jalandhar and asked for police protection. He contended through his lawyer that ever since he had booked the Congress candidate, his security had been withdrawn and he faced several threats. Before his plea for security could be heard, a team of the local police came and arrested him for carrying a weapon into the court premises. He was sent to judicial remand.

Later in the day, the election commission ordered his transfer from Shahkot, replacing him with another SHO.

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