Amarinder, DGP in war of words over Faridkot abduction case

Amarinder Singh and Sumedh Singh Saini were involved in a public spat over the alleged abduction case of a teenage girl from Faridkot.

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh and state police chief Sumedh Singh Saini were Tuesday involved in a public spat over the alleged abduction case of a teenage girl from Faridkot.

The two sparred over Saini`s comment that "some elements had distorted facts for their political considerations" even as the minor girl today refused to undergo a medical test claiming she was married to her alleged abductor. Without naming Congress, Saini yesterday had said it was unethical on the part of those staging protest and raking up the issue involving a minor girl for their political considerations. While Amarinder asked the DGP to "respect his uniform and stop behaving like an Akali politician", Saini shot back immediately advising the former Punjab Chief Minister to "leave policing and investigation to the police and devote his time to his own business, if he can." Amarinder, in a statement here, maintained that the DGP should admit to the police failure in this particular case. The PCC President said the DGP before leveling allegations against the Congress should visit the area from where the girl was abducted to find out how the family and their neighbours were terrorised. "For the first time in the history of Punjab a girl has been abducted at gunpoint under your Director Generalship of the police," he said while asking him whether he wanted the Congress to keep quiet and let this incident become a routine. "Leave politics to politicians and get serious about your job lest Punjab turns into a lawless anarchy," Amarinder said. In response, Saini strongly refuted the allegations of Amarinder of dragging Congress in the controversy of abduction of minor girl of Faridkot. The DGP said "It is definitely my business if facts are deliberately distorted and the issue of a minor girl is used to further personal interests, resulting in hindrance to investigation." "He (Amarinder) should abstain from unethical behaviour or making issues where none exist," the DGP said reacting to Amarinder in a separate statement. He said that the investigation in the case will be taken to its logical conclusion. "Amarinder should look at the blatant matter in which he repeatedly maligned the name of a minor girl and attempted to make the issue into a virtual public spectacle," the DGP said. The girl, a class X student, was found in Goa on Sunday. She was brought to Faridkot Tuesday morning from Goa via Delhi along with Nishan Singh, who allegedly kidnapped her at gunpoint on September 24. Fifteen of the seventeen accused in the case have been arrested so far and those yet to be arrested include Nishan Singh`s mother Navjot Kaur. PTI