Villagers block traffic to protest against abductions

Kapurthala, Jul 25 (UNI) Agitating residents of Dayalpur today blocked vehicular traffic on Jalandhar-Amritsar National Highway near the village for several hours to protest against the alleged kidnapping of Congress panch Parmod Kumar and a villager Ranjit Singh by the rival faction.

The villagers staged a dharna in the middle of road and jammed the vehicular traffic.

The agitating villagers burnt two motocycles and damaged a jeep parked outside the Government Senior Seconday School at village Dayalpur, the venue of the sarpanch election.

According to villagers, Parmod Kumar and Neeta Rani both Congress panches were going towards the venue of election this afternoon to cast their votes for the election of sarpanch when the former was kidnapped by unkown persons who had come in a car. When they tried to kidnap Neeta Rani , the villagers intervened and saved her from the clutches of the abductors.

The abductors also severally beat up village resident Ranjit Singh who tried to obstruct them and also kidnapped him.

The villagers alleged that District Youth Akali Dal senior vice president Paramjit Singh Padda, a panch of SAD and aspirant for the post of sarpanch was behind the kidnapping. The Congress has six panches whiel has SAD two and the BSP has one.

According to police, the kidnappers threw Parmod Kumar and Ranjit Singh near village Sarawan. Ranjit Singh who was seriously injured by the kidnappers had been admitted in the local civil hospital while Parmod Kumar has gone to the house of a relative at Kartarpur.

The villagers are demanding the registration of kidnapping case against accused. SDM G S Khaira and S P (Detective) Sukhwinder Singh also reached the spot and persuaded the villagers to lift the dharna. Meanwhile the election to the post of Sarpanch has been postponed by the Returning Officer.

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