Tables, chairs, microphone stand and fists fly as BJP cadres attack each other at party meet

Speaking to The Indian Express, Grewal said that he was presiding over a booth summit for the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha constituency (five Assembly segments of Ludhiana district, including Payal, are part of the Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituency) when the clash took place.

“A scuffle ensued after a local leader demanded that he should be allowed to speak on the stage. However, due to a shortage of time, only senior leaders were allowed to address the gathering. The programme was to be concluded when this person suddenly jumped on the stage, saying he too wanted to speak on the stage. He had altercations with the person handling the stage. Both slapped each other and then started throwing objects such as chairs and tables at each other. I had moved out of the venue but returned after hearing the noise,” Grewal said.

BJP Khanna district president Bhupinder Singh Cheema said following the booth summit protocol, only senior leaders were allowed to sit on the stage and address the gathering.

“However, one Gulzar Singh,the husband of our party’s women wing’s district president Jasvir Kaur, who was sitting among the audience demanded that he too should be given time to speak on the stage. When denied, he became violent and started throwing objects at others. The programme had almost concluded peacefully but then this happened,” Cheema said.

Cheema further said, “Twoof my colleagues have been injured and shifted to a hospital. They suffered injuries after being attacked with a microphone stand.”

On the other hand, Jasvir Kaur, president, Khanna Mahila Morcha, said her husband was brutally attacked and abused by Cheema’s aides, and he was grievously injured. “Being the Mahila Morcha president, I got women members in three vehicles to attend the meeting. We were just trying to submit the list of new members to Cheema. The new members also wanted to get a photograph clicked. But despite my repeated requests, he did not listen to us. It was then my husband went on the stage and asked for them ic so that he could call the names of all new women members for a group photograph. But the person who was handling the stage abused and attacked my husband. He was pushed off the stage and brutally attacked by Cheema’s aides. They also abused my husband,” said Kaur, adding that her husband’s turban was tossed, too.

Payal DSP Nikhil Garg said, “Police controlled the situation. However, no FIR has been registered yet as none of the parties has yet submitted any written complaint.”