Ropar, June 23: Protesting against the attack on Ropar AAP MLA Amarjit Singh Sandoa, party leaders, including Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira and state co-president Dr Balbir Singh, staged a dharna on Friday. Dr Balbir Singh said a dharna would be staged in Ropar on June 25. He added that the party would expose those who were “patronising” the mining mafia.
Also read: AAP MLA injured as mining mafia assaults him in Ropar
In a twist, the Ropar Mining Department in its report has said no mining norms were flouted at the spot of incident. A four-member team of the Ropar Mining Department headed by general manager Tehal Singh Sekhon in its report has claimed that the incident happened on the merging borders of Baihara and Harsa Bela quarries.
The report said mining at Baihara was banned since December 2017 and no fresh digging was visible in the area, said the report. It further stated that fresh digging was found at a few spots in adjoining Harsa Bela quarry only and there was no ban on mining in this quarry.
The report also claimed that the digging in Harsa Bela was also not more than the permissible limit.
The Ropar Additional Deputy Commissioner had asked the Mining Department to prepare a report in this regard. The report, which virtually has given a clean chit to MLA’s assailant Ajvinder Singh as far as illegal mining is concerned, in fact has put a question mark on the move of the former who had claimed that he had gone there to stop illegal mining.
Meanwhile, another video has appeared in which Ajvinder Singh and his accomplices were seen thrashing Sandoa’s PA Jagpal Singh with wooden planks while accusing him of asking money. Jagpal can also be heard saying he was helpless. However, Jagpal denied asking money from accused Ajvinder. He said at the time of assault on him the accused were asking him that why he didn’t make them talk to the MLA on his phone and he was just explaining his helplessness in this regard.
Sandoa’s phone, however, was picked by some Gurmukh Singh, who informed that the MLA was still under treatment at the PGI and could not talk.
