Accusing the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government of “forcibly dislodging elected representatives of civic bodies, co-operative bodies and truck union chiefs”, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday demanded a high-level probe and strict action against the police officials for “illegally detaining” four Akali-BJP councillors of Faridkot Municipal Council by raiding a hotel in Zirakpur on Monday. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema alleged the four councillors were detained at the behest of Congress MLA from Faridkot Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon. Dhillon and Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal of SAS Nagar in which Zirakpur falls refuted the allegations. “Police were informed that some suspicious persons were staying in a hotel in Zirakpur. So, the raid was conducted and after learning about their identities, they were let off,” said the SSP. Cheema, however, released CCTV footage of the hotel and said it showed that Congress MLA Dhillon’s supporters, his PA Karamjit Singh Tehna and Congress councillor Vickey Brar were present at the hotel at the time of the raid. “If they were detained on some secret information, then how a Congress councillor Vickey Brar from Faridkot and Karamjit Singh Tehna, PA of MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, were present at the hotel at the time of police raid? Both of them are clearly visible in the CCTV coverage. They accompanied police and identified the councillors and only then they were detained,” Cheema said. Asked about the presence of persons close to MLA Dhillon at the time of police raid in the hotel, SSP Chahal said, “Anyone can give information about any suspicious activity.” Vijay Chhabra, one of the councillors, alleged, “We were pushed and bundled into an open vehicle. A policeman caught me from my collar. This despite we told them we are elected representatives.” Cheema said police went out of its purview and indulged in “political conspiracy to help the ruling Congress party to topple the democratically elected MC chief”. Cheema also alleged that councillors were being coerced to side with the ruling government in the State. The voting on no-confidence motion could not take place in the 25-member house on Tuesday as 18 members, the two-thirds of the total members, were required to be present in the House for voting. Only 14 councillor were present and since the quorum was not there voting could not take place. MLA Dhillon said, “SAD is short of numbers in the Faridkot MC. If that was not the case, why these councillors went away from Faridkot. If they were not short of numbers, they should have been present in the no-confidence motion.”
