Independent candidate kidnapped in Punjab, 2 arrested

Sangrur, Jan 25 (UNI) An independent candidate contesting from the prestigious Lehra Gagga assembly constituency in Punjab was today allegedly abducted from outside the sub divisional complex at Moonak after he had filed his nomination papers.

According to police reports here, two of the five abductors named in the FIR registered at the Moonak police station have been arrested by the police.

Giving details of the incident the police said Labh Singh a resident of Chandumajra village was severly beaten-up by a group of persons while he was coming out of the SDM's office after filing his papers as an independent from the Lehra Gagga segment. He was then bundled into a vehicle and taken away, police said.

SSP B Chandra Shekhar while confirming the incident said that the police had registered a case on the statement of Avtar Singh, son of the kidnapped candidate. The police are making all out efforts to trace the candidate and are conducting raids.

The case was registered under sections 364, 148 and 149 of the IPC against Harvinder Singh, nephew of Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate from Lehra Gagga. The others named in the FIR are Kawaljit Singh a resident of Moonak, Avtar Singh of Hamirgarh, Money from Patiala and Preet Mohinder.

The two arrested kidnappers were Avtar Singh and Kawaljit Singh, who are being questioned on the whereabouts of the candidate, DSP Moonak said. They were nabbed on the bases of certain specific information collected by the police after the incident.

Avtar Singh, the son of the candidate in his statement to the police alleged that his father had been kidnapped by the supporters of the SAD nominee. SDM Moonak, Zora Singh Thind who received the nomination papers of Labh Singh in his statement to the police claimed that he was unaware of the kidnapping as the incident took place outside his office.

Besides Mr Chandumajra, the other prominent candidate from Lehra Gagga is Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal of the Congress. Mr Chandumajra, a close confidant of former Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandik Committee (SGPC) chief the late Gurcharan Singh Tohra had recently quit the Akali Dal (Longowal) and joined the SAD headed by former chief minister Prakash Singh Badal.

UNI