M A I N   N E W S

Poll charge taken away from DSP
Varinder Walia and Gurbaxpuri

Bhikhiwind, February 7
The election-related firing incident at Bhikhiwind today took a new turn when the police registered a fresh FIR against Mr Tejpreet Singh, alias Peter, in charge of the election office of the Congress candidate from Patti, on the complaint of Ms Darshan Kaur who was injured in the incident yesterday.

Mr Adeshpartap Singh Kairon, Excise and Taxation Minister and son-in-law of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, led a dharna in front of the police station in protest against the booking of his brother Gurpartap Singh Kairon and two others in the murder case of Ali Sher Khan a migrant labourer. The police had to register a case against his brother when a large number of Congress and Panthic Morcha workers gheraoed the police station yesterday.

The body of Ali Sher Khan was taken through various bazaars of the town by Congress workers after a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that election duties of Mr Shamsher Singh, DSP, Bhikhiwind, given to Mr Ashutosh, DSP, Patti, immediately after yesterday’s firing incident.

Mr Sukhpal Singh Bhullar, General Secretary, Punjab Youth Congress, has alleged that the DSP, Mr Shamsher Singh and Mr Swarn Singh, SHO Bhikhiwind, had helped Mr Gurpartap Singh Kairon and two others escape through a rear window of the police station after the incident.

Meanwhile, activists of the All-India Sikh Students Federation, led by its president Harminder Singh Gill, who is also a candidate of the Panthic Morcha and the BSP, held a dharna in front of the SDM’s office at Patti. Addressing protesters, Mr Gill said his party had served a 24-hour ultimatum on the police to arrest those involved in the incident. 

EC for action against cops
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 7
Expressing concern over violation of the code of conduct, the Election Commission today asked the Haryana Government to immediately initiate action against state police officials, reportedly accompanying ministers in the ongoing election campaign in Uttar Pradesh.

Directing the Haryana Government to immediately seal borders with UP, the EC shot off a letter to the Haryana Chief Secretary asking the authorities to immediately stop the practice of civil and police officials campaigning for politicians in UP.

Official sources maintained that the commission had asked the state government to stop the movement of “undesirable elements” from moving from Haryana to UP.

The latest directive of the EC follows the concern expressed by the UP Chief Secretary about the process of free-and-fair elections being put in danger by undesirable elements from Haryana.

The EC has directed the state government to identify the police and civil officials believed to have accompanied politicians during campaigning for the UP Assembly poll.

The commission has also asked political parties to refrain from indulging in personal attacks. “While recognising the necessity for political parties and candidates to popularise themselves and adopt such campaigning methods as to further their prospects at the hustings, the commission urges all concerned to exercise self-restraint and refrain from indulging in personal attacks.