LIP MLA, SAD leader clash in Ludhiana, booked for violating Covid regulations

Hundreds of workers from both sides opened violated Covid guidelines and clashed on the road, even as the curfew orders were in place.

High drama was witnessed in Janta Nagar of Ludhiana Sunday when Lok Insaf Party (LIP) chief and MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains and Youth Akali Dal (YAD) district president Gurdeep Singh Gosha alongwith their supporters had a physical confrontation during a road inauguration programme.

In the videos of the incident that went viral on social media, Bains, his son Ajaypreet Singh and their supporters were purportedly seen hurling abuses and hitting Gosha. Supporters from both sides tossed each other’s turbans even though police was present at the spot.

Hundreds of workers from both sides opened violated Covid guidelines and clashed on the road, even as the curfew orders were in place.

Police registered an FIR against persons from both the sides for allegedly violating curfew orders.

The face-off between Bains and Gosha turned violent after the former had reached Janta Nagar to inaugurate a road in ward number 40 and 41. In the meantime, Gosha also reached there with his supporters claiming that Bains was taking credit for the project which was already inaugurated by Akali Dal and was ‘re-inaugurating’ it. Gosha also claimed that Bains and his supporters stopped him from distributing langar in the area.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gosha said, “I and my team have been distributing langar for Covid patients in Janta Nagar since the pandemic started last year. We come here daily and today Bains and his supporters stopped us from distributing langar. They said we cannot enter this area and asked us to leave. Moreover, Bains inaugurated a road which had already been inaugurated previously by the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership and now he is claiming credit for the work which he did not do at all. This road project was passed, executed and inaugurated when SAD’s Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria was the Mayor of Ludhiana. Bains and his son resorted to hooliganism and did not just abuse us but also attacked us physically.”

Amanjot Singh Gohalwaria, son of former Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria, who also accompanied Gosha, said that the road project was passed way back in 2016 when his father was the Mayor of the city. However, later Punjab Assembly Polls and Ludhiana MC polls took place in which SAD lost. He said that now when the road project has been completed, Bains was claiming undue credit for it even as he did nothing.

On the other hand, Bains speaking to The Indian Express, said that it was their programme and Gosha and his supporters reached there deliberately in a ‘pre-planned way’ to spoil it. “We respect Mahatma Gandhi but then we also follow ideology of Bhagat Singh. If someone will come in our area and spoil our programme, that too accompanied by bouncers and carrying baseball bats, we will not keep quiet. Gosha and his workers reached the venue deliberately and started abusing. There are ways to protest and oppose. If Gohalwaria’s son had issues with me inaugurating the project, then he should have called a press conference or protested peacefully. But barging into our programme and then resorting to hooliganism is not what we are going to tolerate.. If they can do all this, then we also aren’t wearing bangles,” said Bains.

Asked about the videos in which he and his son Ajaypreet could be seen abusing and hitting Gosha, Bains said, “Videos can be edited later and things can be portrayed wrongly. People taught them (Gosha and YAD workers) a lesson because they first resorted to hooliganism. Lokan ne ohna nu akal sikhaayi tey ohna di sewa kitti (People taught them a lesson and did their sewa).”

Admitting that he and his supporters violated Covid and curfew guidelines by organising a gathering, Bains said, “We admit it was our mistake to hold a gathering amid curfew but that’s a separate issue. We violated Covid guidelines but we will get a separate FIR registered against Gosha and his men for hooliganism they did.”

Inspector Amandeep Singh Brar, SHO division number 6 police station said that an FIR was registered against Bains, his son, Gosha, Prabhdeep Pandher and 60 others for violating Covid guidelines, under Sections 188 (disobedience to the order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of a disease dangerous to life), 160 (punishment for committing affray), 294 (punishment for obscene words or act in public) of IPC and 51-B of the Disaster Management Act.

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