The Punjab Police on Tuesday detained Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and among other SAD-BSP workers after they held a huge protest against the Congress-led state government outside Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s residence in Siswan near Chandigarh.
Protesters led by SAD president Sukhbir Badal were seen shouting slogans against the Capt Government over several issues, including irregularities in the purchase of Fateh kits and alleged supply of Covid vaccine doses to private hospitals.
The protesters while alleging the above irregularities and vaccine scam demanded the removal of health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.
The Akali Dal president before his arrest said, “If a storm rises, Captain Amarinder Singh will not be able to stop it, even if he uses all his force.”
He further said, “There is a scam in vaccination, there is a scam in ‘Fateh Kit (Covid-related kit)’, there is a scam in SC scholarship, farmer’s land is being acquired.”
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Meanwhile, BSP state president Jasbir Singh Garhi was also present at the protest. Several Akali leaders, including Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, were detained by police.
Sukhbir also tweeted about the protest and arrests of hundreds of SAD and BSP workers. He said, “Courted arrest with hundreds of SAD & BSP workers while marching to CM Captain Amarinder Singh's farmhouse near Chandigarh to demand arrest of health minister Balbir Singh for vaccine & Fateh kit scams besides need to give market rate to farmers whose lands are acquired for highway projects.”
He further tweeted, “Earlier thousands of SAD-BSP workers collected near captain’s farmhouse to wake the arrogant ‘raja’ from his slumber & demand justice for people of Punjab. SAD-BSP has decided to make all Cong leaders accountable for corruption done by them once it forms the govt in 2022.”
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Police personnel were deployed and multi-layered barricades were put up on roads. Initially Akali and BSP protesters made their way through the first layer of barricades. Police used water cannons while the protests were trying to cross the second layer.
In the tumult, the turbans of many protesters were tossed after the police officials resorted to water cannons.