MLA Kalia sheltering accused, alleges BJP leader Kishan

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 27

Coming out in open against the BJP MLA from the Central constituency Manoranjan Kalia, another local BJP leader Kishan Lal Sharma today held Kalia responsible for sheltering the accused involved in a murder of Khalsa college student Manpreet Singh. He also went on to say that Kalia had been nurturing the gangsters in his constituency due to which gang wars have been taking place every day.

Kishan accompanied by large number of residents of the Guru Nanak Pura locality, where Manpreet was killed in broad daylight by over 20 masked men on Wednesday, held protest against Kalia for allegedly proliferating goondaism in the area. Two days before murder, Kanu had hit his bike into a child of Kapil at Guru Nanak Pura. When passerby Hemraj pointed, bike-borne Kanu said, “The boy is alive.” In the meantime, Hemraj’s son Rakesh arrived who entered into a heated argument with Kanu. Kanu later called some youth, Kali, Gori, Pargat (brother of BJP Yuva Morcha president Lucky) and Vicky who all had then beaten up Rakesh in full public view. Kishan said when the Surya Enclave police was informed, the police said, FIR could not be registered until MLA Kalia gives consent over it.

To seek action against assailants, on Tuesday he along with residents of Guru Nanak Pura decided to conduct candlelight march. “Before we could start the march, Yuvaa Morcha president Lucky, Raju Aulakh and Kaka arrived at Hemraj’s house where they threatened him not to hold the march in the presence of police,” he said adding that Raju and Kaka was one of the accused involved in Manpreet murder that reported a day after this incident. Due to the influence of MLA Kalia on the city police, the police did not register a case against Raju and Kaka for threatening Hemraj. Had the police arrested the duo on Tuesday, they could not have murdered Manpreet the next day. “I think MLA Kalia should also be booked for shielding the accused. The way Kalia is promoting gangsters; his should be in jail only. He should not be allowed to run freely. Kalia had turned the Qazi Mandi area a den of drugs and Guru Nanak Pura area a ‘Mini Bombay,” said Kishan.

Kishan dismissed from BJP’s primary membership

An hour after the outburst of the BJP leader Kishan Lal Sharma against MLA Kalia, the District BJP president (Urban) Ramesh Sharma dismissed him from the primary membership for running anti-party activities for six years.

BJP leadership counters allegations

To counter the allegations of Kishan, CPS KD Bhandari, Ramesh Sharma, Mayor Sunil Jyoti, Mohinder Bhagat and Ravi Mahindru hurriedly called a press conference. All leaders while terming the allegations a mere drama said MLA Kalia has never supported any anti-social elements. He also never intervened in the working of the police. Infact, Gurmeet Aulakh, brother of the main accused Balraj Aulakh in Manpreet murder case, was a member of the Pandit Deen Dyal Upadya’s unit being run by Kishan. “Aulakh could be seen with all social events organised by this unit in the past. Even before the murder, Gurmeet had called Kishan eight times on phone which points finger towards Kishan’s role and his relations with accused’s brother,” said the BJP leaders. They also presented several news clipping in which Gurmeet was seen with Kishan in various public functions.