CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on misuse of government machinery by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and said the government was using police officials to threaten leaders of opposition parties.
In a complaint filed with the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, SAD Chief Spokesman Arshdeep Singh Kler said DSP City Jagjeet Singh and DSP D Sukhbir Singh, who were close associates of AAP candidate Harmeet Singh Sandhu, had been posted to Tarn Taran with the intention of influencing the elections. He said these officers had earlier served as Station House Officers (S.H.O.s) in Tarn Taran during the period when Mr. Harmeet Singh Sandhu was the MLA. “Their sudden transfer and posting to the same area at this crucial juncture clearly indicats a motivated administrative decision aimed at influencing the election process”, he asserted.
Mr Kler also detailed in his complaint that the officers were intimidating sarpanches, local leaders and voters and coercing them to support the ruling party candidate. “People are also being threatened with false cases if they refuse to do so”. He said this conduct was not only unethical and partisan, but also a direct violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the instructions of the Election Commission of India regarding neutrality of government officials during elections.
The SAD leader demanded the immediate transfer of DSP Jagjeet Singh and DSP Sukhbir Singh out of Tarn Taran district to ensure free and fair conduct of the bye-election and also urged for an independent inquiry into the allegations of intimidation and misuse of police authority. He also urged that strict instructions should be issued to all administrative and police officials to maintain complete political neutrality during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.