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Sukhbir was not present at accident site
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 28 — Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, a former Union Minister of State, today categorically denied that he was present in the car which met with an accident and was subsequently gheraoed by an agitated crowd at Nawanshahr yesterday.

In a written statement, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal said he came to know about the incident while he was in Phagwara, about 25 km away from the actual site of the mishap. The report, he said, was “baseless, fabricated and politically motivated aiming to tarnish my public image”.

“How can there be any heated exchanges with me or how can I be gheraoed by anyone when I was not in the car,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Nawanshahr, Mr Ishwar Singh, in a written statement said he was on leave on Saturday.

He maintained that Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was not present when the accident of one of the Ambassador cars took place. In fact this car was left far behind before it met with an accident with a bus of Onkar Travels.

“Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was not present at the site of the mishap. There is no iota of truth in the news that Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was gheraoed. It is also not correct that Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal took the Ludhiana route while going back to Chandigarh,” Mr Ishwar Singh said.

Meanwhile, subsequent enquiries reveal that the version of Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and Mr Ishwar Singh is correct.