Punjab Polls: Farm Leader among 2 arrested for attack on BJP candidate Ladhar in Ludhiana

Two people were detained Monday, including a farmer union official, in connection with the alleged attack on BJP candidate Sucha Ram Ladhar from Ludhiana’s Gill seat late Sunday. This, however, triggered demonstrations, with a group of local farmers staging a dharna in front of the Sadar police station, demanding the union leader’s release. 

Ladhar, a retired IAS official, was taken to the hospital after a gang of individuals reportedly assaulted his car with clubs and rods on Sunday evening, injuring him. After campaigning in his constituency’s village, Kheri, the 63-year-old, went home. 

Based on Ladhar’s statement, a case was filed at Sadar police station against Jagwinder Singh Raju, the circle head of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) from Himanyunpur village, and Luvjeet Singh of Kheri village, as well as 20 other unidentified people, under sections 307 (murder attempt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 148 (riot}. 

Raju and Luvjit Singh have both been detained. 

ACCORDING TO POLICE STATEMENT

According to Ladhar’s police statement, two guys first entered the residence of one Gurmukh Singh Gora, where he was having a poll gathering. He said that the two made anti-caste slurs about him. According to Ladhar, when he was leaving the area in his automobile, the accused gathered his vehicle and began chanting pro-Congress shouts. 

“With sticks and rods, they damaged the automobile.” They assaulted me with the intent to murder,” he said in the complaint, adding that he subsequently learned that the accused were “AAP employees who chanted pro-Congress slogans to confuse.” 

Meanwhile, members of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) protested outside the Sadar police station. 

“Our members had gone to the location to probe Ladhar about agricultural concerns,” Sudagar Singh Ghudani, general secretary of the outfit’s Ludhiana chapter, claimed. Activists protested against him because he failed to respond, but afterward, employees from several political parties destroyed his car. Raju did not assault Ladhar and was wrongfully charged with attempted murder.” 

Senior police officers, according to Ghudani, have requested two days’ notice before ending the demonstration. 

Meanwhile, Ladhar said that the mob that attacked him was protesting the dismissal of FIRs filed against farmers during a year-long demonstration near Delhi’s borders. They resorted to thuggery and stated that the campaign meeting would not be held. “How can a candidate be stopped from canvassing?” “I am prepared to respond to any inquiry, but no one has given BKU permission to launch an offensive.” 

Ladhar was a vocal opponent of agricultural regulations who later joined the BJP once they were repealed. He even started a political party called Kirti Kisan Sher-e-Punjab. 

“Prima facie, the violence was tied to political rivalry,” said Ravcharan Singh Brar, the Ludhiana joint commissioner of police (rural). “There were no serious injuries to the candidate.” 

Gill is a reserved seat where Ladhar will face incumbent Congress MLA Kuldip Singh Vaid, former SAD MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik, and AAP’s Jiwan Singh Sandoval. 

Published by- Aashay Bhujbal

Edited by- Kritika Kashyap