M A I N   N E W S

Industrialist, ex-minister’s son in golf range row
Naveen S Garewal and Ramanjit Singh Sidhu
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 11
The Chandigarh Police has ordered an inquiry into the reported ‘act of vandalism” at the Golf Range run by the Chandigarh Golf Association (CGA) on Sunday night, but preferred to remain mum about the identities of those involved in the incident. “We will not like to divulge any detail at this stage as the matter is being investigated”, Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Yadav said adding that the guilty would not be spared. However, he confirmed that two of the vehicles mentioned in the FIR belonged to a Mohali-based industrialist and another to a former Akali minister’s wife.

However, the Mohali-based industrialist, Mr S.S Mann, when contacted on the phone in Delhi by The Tribune came out with details of the incidents, admitting that he along with his nephew Mr Karan Singh and his friend Mr Magan Singh (son of Mr Baldev Singh Mann, a former Akali minister in the Barnala Government) were at the CGA Golf Range on Sunday night where, “the unpleasant incident took place”.

Giving his side of the version, Mr Mann said, “I am a permanent member of the CGA Golf Range. On Sunday, I was at the range playing golf. Around 8.30 pm, my nephew Karan and his friend Magan came there on my invitation. I sent my family home and the three of us went to the bar for some drinks”. According to him, neither he nor his nephew has any security cover and categorically denied that he was accompanied by any security personnel.

He said after they had drinks and snacks, the waiter presented him with a bill of Rs 4200. “I checked my wallet and found that there was only Rs 3000 in my purse. Since I did not think it right to borrow money from my nephew or his friends, I told the waiter that he should accept this now and the remaining amount will be paid in the morning. But the waiter refused to accept this and insisted on the entire amount. Since, I wanted to avoid this embarrassing situation in front of my guests, I told the waiter that I will come and sort out the matter after seeing off my guests”.

He claimed that when he got up to leave, half a dozen waiters, etc followed him to the gate. They let his guests go out of the gate but stopped him from leaving. In the commotion, a waiter caught hold of him by the collar.

Sensing something amiss, his nephew and his friend returned and exchanged hot words with the waiters. By then the Chandigarh Police PCR vehicle too arrived and witnessed the scene, he said adding, “Since the matter was getting out of control, I thought it would be best to leave. I also offered to draw money and hand it over to the waiter if one of them accompanied me to an ATM in Sector 19”. He said the next day he left for Delhi on a business trip and it was only this morning that he learnt that an FIR had been registered.

The Chandigarh Police however refused to corroborate or deny Mr Mann’s story. They said we would not like to make any comment before the person comes before the police and makes a statement. They also said that the role of the PCR was also being investigated by the DSP (East) and that he would submit his findings in two days.

About the breaking of glass, Mr Mann said: “No such incident took place while we were there. I do not when and how and when the glass got broken”. This fact has been corroborated by the statement given by the PCR that reached the spot around midnight. ‘No glass was broken when we reached the spot and in our presence”, the PCR official is said to have stated.

The police sources said that the two Mercedes bearing registration numbers DBG - 324 and PB65-A-0049 belonged to Mr Mann, while the third vehicle PB-13-P-0032, a red Trevera is registered in the name of the wife of Mr Baldev Singh, a former Akali minister. However the fourth vehicle a Toyota Innova PB11-AB-9459 is registered at Patiala.

The CGA staff however rubbished Mr Mann’s explanation saying that this was an afterthought. They also maintained that the armed security personnel were accompanying the accused.