Punjab: On the last day of filing of nominations for the upcoming panchayat elections in Punjab, minor incidents of violence and clashes between party workers were reported at various places including Zira, Mamdot, Talwandi Bhai and Ferozepur. However, timely intervention by the police helped prevent the clashes from becoming more serious. Law enforcement remained on high alert throughout the day to maintain control. In a disturbing incident in a city area, Punjab Police constable Amrit Pal Singh posted at a nomination centre was attacked by unidentified youths when he directed them to line up. The assailants attacked the constable with knives and tore his uniform. The attackers fled and the constable was admitted to the civil hospital for treatment.
Gurpreet Singh, former sarpanch of Bhamba Landa village, said that more than 200 people allegedly linked to a gangster attacked them in Ghall Khurd block when they were trying to file their nomination papers. Gurpreet claimed that the attackers had the intention to kill him but his security personnel intervened and fired in the air to disperse the crowd. Gurpreet accused a sitting AAP MLA of plotting the attack. In another incident in Zira, nomination papers of a Congress-backed candidate were snatched, though the culprits were later nabbed by the police. There was also a scuffle between rival party workers in Mamdot block.
More unrest took place in Zira, where seven people were booked following a complaint by AAP state spokesperson and Punjab Agro chairman Shaminder Khinda. Khinda alleged that the accused, armed with sticks, baseball bats, knives and revolvers, attacked his vehicle. Police registered FIRs under sections of the BNS and Arms Act. In Makhu block, several people were booked for election violence. Four were charged under sections of the Arms Act and BNS, while five others faced charges related to election violence in Nihale village. Meanwhile, state Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Waring visited Zira to meet district Congress Committee president Kulbir Singh Zira, who was injured in a clash between AAP and Congress workers earlier in the week. Waring was accompanied by senior party leaders, including MP Sher Singh Ghubaya and former MP Jasbir Singh Dimpa.
Addressing the Congress workers, Waring urged them not to be afraid of political violence and assured them of his support. He emphasised that Congress workers will follow the law and maintain peace during the nomination process, but they will not tolerate hooliganism by other parties. Kulbir Singh Zira, who is still recovering from his injuries, filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, requesting enhanced security for his safety amid the volatile political atmosphere. Political tensions over the panchayat elections have led to heightened security measures and continuous efforts are being made by the police to ensure a peaceful process.
