Ludhiana/ Punjab (August 18, 2014): Aam Aadmi Party’s Member of Parliament from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann has alleged that the Punjab Police was trying to target him at the behest of ruling SAD-BJP government by dragging his name into the shoe-hurling incident.
It is notable that a youth, identified as Vikram Kumar of Dhanaula, had hurled a shoe towards Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a function at Isru on August 15.
According to reports Vikram Kumar was a supporters of Aam Aadmi Party and he had campaigned for Bhagwant Mann during last Lok Sabha elections.
Bhagwant Mann
Bhagwant Mann said: “I have read Bikram’s statement in the media. He did not intend to hit the CM. He only wanted his voice to be heard. The CM should show magnanimity and ask the police to drop the false and frivolous cases against him. Badal Sahab should not forget that he had once offered a government job to Jarnail Singh who had hurled a shoe at then Union Minister P Chidambaram,” said the MP.
Vikram Kumar, who hurled shoe towards Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Isru on August 15, 2014
He said he was shocked that his name and that of his party had been dragged into the controversy. “If the police establish that I had a role in the incident, they are free to register a criminal case against me. Bikram is not a convener of AAP’s Dhanaula unit committee. After the Lok Sabha elections, all committees were scraped,” Mann said.
GS Dhillon, DIG, Ludhiana Range, claimed that the accused had told the police that they had spoken to Bhagwant Mann after hurling a shoe at the Chief Minister.
He said the plan was that Vikram Kumar would hurl a shoe at the CM and Mahinderpal Singh Dangarh would make a video of the incident and upload it on social networking sites.
Asked if the police had recovered any such video tape from the accused, Dhillon said the cellphones of the accused had been confiscated and the matter was being probed.
According to The Tribune, Bhagwant Mann admitted to have spoken to Vikram , a resident of Dhanaula village, Mahinderpal Singh of Dangarh village and Harvinder Singh Hindi of Kothe Gobindpur village over the phone.
“They are residents of my constituency. It is my duty to ask enquire about their well-being,” he said.