Ludhiana, June 17: A police team from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district has rounded up Machhian Khurd village sarpanch Rajinder Pal Singh on charges of rape and abduction.
Meanwhile, the panchayat members of this dusty village in Koomkalan police station near Khanna are crying foul alleging that the sarpanch has been falsely implicated in the case to settle political scores.
On Monday night, the police party from Baheri police station in Bareilly descended on the sarpanch’s house and rounded him up. The police said that the sarpanch has been booked in a rape and abduction case at Baheri police station on the complaint of a woman.
Though the sarpanch’s supporters, who had organised a press conference in the city, claimed that the sarpanch is innocent, the police are in no mood to budge. The supporters were accompanied by Satnam Pal Singh, brother of the sarpanch, who also has been made accused in the rape and abduction case.
Addressing mediapersons, the panchayat members alleged that the case in UP had been registered to settle political scores with the sarpanch who had foiled the attempts of a few people who had tried to grab 40 acres of shamlaat (common) land in the Machhian village about two and half months ago.
These panchayat members have demanded a high-level probe into the matter. They said that they will move to the highest authorities to seek the justice.
Koomkalan police station Station House Officer (SHO) confirmed to Newsline that the sarpanch had been rounded up by the UP police.
—–Agencies