The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued summons to the Punjab DGP for November 25 in connection with the registration of nine FIRs against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) workers during the campaigning for the Tarn Taran by-election.
This comes after the ECI reviewed a report submitted by the DGP on November 13, a day before the bypoll results were announced. It is alleged that the FIRs were registered in a “coordinated manner” at Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Moga and Batala.
The Punjab Police, through the DGP, had submitted a confidential sealed report prepared by ADGP Ram Singh, to the ECI, which reportedly justified the actions of former Tarn Taran SSP Ravjot Kaur Grewal, who was suspended by the commission on November 8.
A separate report by Tarn Taran constituency election observer Shyni S, an Odisha-cadre IPS officer, has reportedly implicated the former SSP in the arrests, highlighting the coordinated FIRs across districts and the insufficient time between FIR registration and arrests to justify the police action. The report raised “serious concerns” about impartiality of law enforcement during the election period. The SAD had raised the issue before the ECI.
Earlier, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Punjab had sought a reply from the DIG, Ferozepur Range, who had exonerated former SSP Ravjot Kaur, stating the arrests were part of ongoing investigations. The ECI then directed the CEO, Sibin C, to take the matter up again with the DGP.
Also read: Suspension of SSP Tarn Taran must serve as deterrent
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