SAD seeks transfer of two SSPs

    Chandigarh, Mar 15 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal Friday demanded the transfer of two senior superintendents of police in the state, claiming that they were "close relatives" of Congress leaders.
    They said it was necessary to ensure free and fair elections in the state.
    In a complaint to the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer, SAD president's political secretary Charanjit Singh Brar said both the officers – Jalandhar Rural SSP Navjot Singh Mahal and Muktsar SSP Manjot Singh Dhesi – were allegedly "vitiating the atmosphere by working as per the dictates" of the Congress party and should be transferred immediately.
    "Mahal was a relative of Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Dhesi was a relative of the chief minister's OSD Gurpreet Singh Dhesi," he claimed.
    "It seems both the officers have been posted deliberately at these stations with the aim of working against SAD candidates," he further claimed
    The Akali Dal claimed that the Muktsar SSP had shown his "partisan" attitude earlier also by "facilitating booth capturing" by Congress workers during the Zila Parishad elections, besides registering a "false" case against SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.     
    The complaint said both the officers should be immediately removed from their stations to ensure they did not "misuse" their office to facilitate the Congress party and its candidates.
    The complaint also informed the Chief Electoral Officer that "brazen poll violations" are being done by Congress workers who are offering "fake allurements" to people to grab their votes in the state.
    Brar claimed the Congress workers were seeking votes by promising them additional 'aata-daal' and old-age pension cards.
    The seven-phased Lok Sabha polls will be held from April 11 to May 19 and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 23. In Punjab, the general elections will be held in a single phase on May 19. PTI CHS KJ