Weeks after being attacked in a village in Punjab’s Ferozepur, a Congress worker named Iqbal Singh breathed his last on Tuesday. Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and other Congress leaders alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party is behind the murder. The Police have registered the case against the accused and have charged them with murder under section 302 of the IPC.
On March 12, exactly two days after the Punjab Assembly Poll results, Congress worker Singh was attacked by three people with bricks. Singh was grievously injured and was immediately shifted to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College in Faridkot for treatment. His condition worsened on Monday and he breathed his last on Tuesday.
The Police had booked the three accused under the relevant sections of the IPC based on the complaint lodged by the family members of the victim. The Police have now newly added the charges of murder to the FIR. According to the reports, the Congress leaders believe that the accused persons belong to the Aam Aadmi Party and that the attack is an instance of ‘change’ the party had promised to create in Punjab.
Congress leader and former minister Pargat Singh condemned the incident and said that the victim has succumbed to his injuries and the accused are still roaming free. “Punjab has not voted for this change”, he said as he demanded the arrest of the three alleged AAP workers. In a series of tweets, he appealed to CM Bhagwant Mann to ensure strict action against the persons who led a murderous attack on Iqbal Singh.
Earlier on March 20, another Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira had urged Mann to get the AAP workers arrested for the alleged attack on the party worker. In the series of tweets that continued on March 29, he added that he was saddened as the accused had not been arrested to date. “The accused AAP workers are being shielded by the newly elected MLA. I hope this isn’t the Badlav”, he said.
Meanwhile, Congress’s Navjot Singh Sidhu visited Iqbal Singh’s residence on March 29 and demanded a government job for one of his family members. “Justice delayed is justice denied! Culprits (AAP Goons) should be booked and arrested immediately. Took up the matter with the administration. A victim’s family should be given a govt job,” he tweeted.
Reportedly former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu also alleged that his supporters were being beaten up in Mohali and false police cases were being registered against them. He said Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh and his supporters were creating an atmosphere of terror in the area. Singh, however, refuted the allegations and said that he never indulged in any such activity. He claimed that Sidhu was making false allegations against him after losing the Assembly poll.
The Legislative Assembly elections were held in Punjab on February 20 to elect the 117 members of the 16th Assembly of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. The vote counting on March 10 favoured the Aam Aadmi Party which gained a full majority by winning 92 out of 117 seats.