Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll: Cops book Khaira after Bholath SDM says he threatened, defamed him

In his complaint to the chief minister on March 29, SDM Sharma alleged that he was being subjected to humiliation, mental torture, harassment and indignity by Khaira. He also alleged in the complaint, which was part of the FIR, that the Bholath legislator had been trying to obstruct him from smooth functioning.

“Of late, he has started threatening me… which raises apprehension of danger to my life and limb by him,” the FIR stated quoting the SDM’s complaint.

Sharma alleged that Khaira and supporters laid siege to the SDM office on March 29 and made remarks unbecoming of an elected people’s representative.

The SDM also alleged that Khaira, in a live video on Facebook, tried to “harangue” him while asking “unwarranted questions just to humiliate and demean me”.

In a separate complaint to the Punjab chief secretary, Sharma said that Khaira had given a notice for holding a ‘dharna’ at the SDM office on April 10 over alleged non-disbursement of compensation for damaged crops due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm.

The call for dharna was “totally unprovoked and uncalled for”, the SDM alleged, adding the government has already announced special girdawari and disbursement of compensation in a time-bound manner.

He further alleged that the dharna was likely aimed at creating an atmosphere of threat, intimidation and bullying.
The FIR has been registered against Khaira under IPC sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 500 (punishment for defamation) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Responding to the allegations, Khaira tweeted, “The FIR against me is the result of extreme hatred and grudge that (Punjab Chief Minister) Bhagwant Mann bears in his heart against me. I only want to say I won’t be intimidated by gross misuse of state machinery and police by the CM to settle personal scores”.

Later, in a statement, Khaira said he won’t be “intimidated or cowed down and would continue to oppose tooth and nail the anti Punjab and anti Sikh actions” of the AAP government. He said the present FIR is a result of his dharna outside the SDM office on April 10 to protest the incompetence of district administration to undertake special girdawri for the loss of wheat crop. “The SDM came to the dharna spot and assured the gathering that he will try his best to ensure quick assessment,” Khaira said, adding SDM’s speech is part of the video shared he had shared on social media. Khaira said he never threatened or in any manner intimidated the SDM.

The second matter pertains to Khaira’s going “live” from SDM office on March 29 to protest the “unconstitutional and illegal laying of foundation stones” by the defeated AAP candidate. Since the SDM was absent from his office, Khaira said he made a telephone call to him which is a part of video posted on Facebook wherein he has neither used any derogatory word nor intimidated the SDM  as alleged.

Hitting out at Mann, Khaira asked “CM and his police as to what action did you take against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi for giving two interviews from high security jail?”

Khaira said he is being targeted because of his vocal criticism of Mann for misusing NSA, sending Sikh youth to Assam jail, making mass arrest of Sikh youth, women and children and his other brutal actions.