Chandigarh: Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested the
ruling Shiromani Akal Dal leader and sarpanch who slapped a
woman teacher at Gidderbaha in Muktsar district on Sunday.
However, the sarpanch Balwinder Singh was freed on bail
within hours of his arrest as the offences under Indian Penal
Code for which he was booked by police were bailable.
Muktsar SSP Inder Mohan Singh told PTI over phone that
Balwinder Singh was arrested under the provisions of section
323 (slapping) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC.
Balwinder Singh had repeatedly slapped lady teacher
Varinder Kaur, who was demanding a permanent job on Sunday,
sparking an outrage after which the state government
registered an FIR against him late last night.
Varinder Kaur was part of a delegation of teachers who
wanted to meet Bhatinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal,
the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, with
their demand at the function at Gidderbaha on Sunday.
A scuffle had broken out between the teachers'
delegation which wanted to submit a memorandum to Harsimrat
Kaur demanding regularisation of their job, and Akali Dal
workers who wanted the delegation to leave the place.
Balwinder Singh, Akali Dal sarpanch of Daula village,
caught hold of Varinder Kaur and slapped her many times.
Meanwhile, police have received a complaint from a
panchayat member charging Varinder Kaur with using casteist
remarks against him.
The panchayat demanded the woman be arrested under the
provisons of SC and ST Act for allegedly passing casteist
remarks against him during the scuffle.
However, the SSP said police are verifying the complaint
and action would be taken as per law.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 20:41