Punjab Rural Polls: SAD, BJP Accuse AAP Govt Of 'Politicising Police'

Chandigarh: Accusing Punjab ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of misusing police, the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP on Wednesday held that sending the Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP), who allegedly told police personnel on phone ``to prevent the opposition candidates from filing nomination papers'', proved that the said viral audio clip was genuine.

The SAD chief Sukhbir Badal said that “a free and fair probe will indict the SSP Varun Sharma had taken the law into his own hands. He said the SAD on its part would continue to seek legal recourse to ensure a criminal case was registered against the SSP.

Badal also spoke on how during the last 60 years there had been four Congress chief ministers including Giani Zail Singh, Darbara Singh, Beant Singh and Capt Amarinder Singh who, he alleged, did nothing for the state.

The state BJP president Sunil Jakhar also alleged that the AAP government is continuously politicising the police. He said this is a threat to democracy and the BJP will not allow this to happen.

Jakhar wrote on X: “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ji, by sending the Patiala SSP on leave before the court hearing, your government has admitted that you intended to misuse the police to steal elections. But the issue is not limited to just this. The politicisation of Punjab’s capable police force is the biggest matter of concern.”

It may be recalled that while Patiala SSP Sharma went on a week’s leave on Tuesday evening, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday questioned the state election commission why no immediate corrective direction was issued to the polling authorities in the said case.