FIR against AAP MP Bhagwant Mann, party activists

Fatehgarh Sahib (Pb), Sep 3: In fresh trouble for Bhagwant Mann, the AAP's Sangrur MP was today booked along with some of his party activists by Punjab Police on a complaint alleging that they had misbehaved with mediapersons at a rally in Bassi Pathana here.

"After receiving the report of the DSP to whom an inquiry had been marked and after getting legal opinion in this regard, we registered a case against Mr Bhagwant Mann and some of his party activists," Fatehgarh Sahib SSP H S Bhullar said here.

A case was registered on the statement of journalist Ranjodh Singh and other mediapersons against Mann under various sections of the IPC including 109, 153, 323, 341, 352, 355, 356, 427, 500, 504 and 149.

Some of these sections pertain to promoting enmity between different groups, punishment for voluntarily causing hurt, punishment for wrongful restraint, assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person and mischief and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace.

The media persons had yesterday filed a complaint against Mann who along with his supporters allegedly misbehaved with them and used derogatory remarks against the media at a political rally in Bassi Pathana here on Thursday.

After receiving a complaint, Fatehgarh Sahib SSP had had directed Bassi Pathana DSP to conduct an inquiry and submit the report at the earliest.

The media persons told the SSP that Mann had arrived four hours late for Thursday's rally. He allegedly instigated AAP volunteers against media persons present there and they manhandled the scribes and even damaged the camera of one of them, the complaint read.

Mann even used the word "paid media" which hurt the feeling of journalists, it said. After the incident, Congress activists had burnt an effigy of Mann at Bassi Pathana.

Mann has been mired in controversies. The AAP MP recently drew flak for alleged security breach after he streamed a video of him entering the Parliament Complex in Delhi.

The Lok Sabha Speaker had formed a panel to probe the issue and Mann was asked to stay away from proceedings of the house, pending the inquiry.

PTI