The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab on Monday, accusing it of engaging in political vendetta. The party alleged that a "blatantly false FIR" was registered to prevent the family and supporters of senior SAD member Vardev Singh Mann from contesting the upcoming zila parishad and block samiti elections.
Allegations of Interfering in Democratic Process
Addressing a press conference, SAD's legal cell chief, Arshdeep Singh Kler, claimed the new police case was a deliberate attempt to interfere with the democratic process. Kler stated that the FIR included nominations against Vardev Mann, his brothers Nardev Mann and Gursewak Mann, a relative named Harman, zila parishad candidate Harbhinder Singh, and Mann's personal assistant, Manish.
He termed the new FIR an "abuse of the process of law" and expressed shock that the case was registered without keeping the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the loop. This, he suggested, showed the police "does not have any regard for the decisions of the court."
Dispute Over Previous Case and Custody Issue
Kler challenged the veracity of an initial case registered against Vardev Mann and his brother Nardev, which had led to a habeas corpus petition in the high court. The brothers were accused of entering a block development officer's room in Jalalabad and indulging in firing.
Kler claimed the government had failed to produce any CCTV footage of the alleged incident. Furthermore, he stated that a forensic laboratory report had confirmed that no licensed weapon belonging to the Mann brothers was used, suggesting the earlier case was also false.
The new allegations reportedly stem from the custody case of Mann's PA, Manish. Six months ago, a warrant officer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had recovered Manish from alleged illegal custody at a Jalalabad police station. Police had counter-claimed that the habeas corpus writ was "wrong" and that Manish had been brought to the station in the warrant officer's vehicle.
Comments on Separate Kanchanpreet Case
Responding to questions about a separate case involving Kanchanpreet Kaur, daughter of SAD's losing Tarn Taran byelection candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, Kler alleged her arrest was for "political reasons" and "without any proof."
He noted that the government had sought the confiscation of her passport during the Tarn Taran byelection. Kler questioned the offence, stating the FIR against her was registered under the Immigration Act, but a court in Amritsar had later granted her bail. He challenged police to explain how entering India from Nepal was an offence, citing Union home ministry guidelines that permit such entry.
Kler concluded by stating that this case "has put Punjabiyat to shame." He urged police officers to "defy the illegal dictates of AAP leaders" and vowed that the SAD would move the high court against the actions of the state government.
