Bathinda AAP chief booked for assaulting traffic cop

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) district president Navdeep Singh Jeeda, a lawyer by profession, has been booked for assaulting a traffic police constable here on Saturday. The incident happened when Jeeda, who was riding a scooter, reportedly was stopped from taking the Ajit Road from Ghodewala Chowk side by traffic cop Ranjit Singh as one-way traffic is allowed on the said road.

Jeeda said he was about to take another route to reach a chemist shop on Ajit Road as asked by the cop, when the latter allegedly used derogatory words against him. "Äs I came back to talk to the cop, he started making video of me even as I said nothing to him. I tried to stop him from making the video and the cop attacked me,” he said.

"I was taken to the police station instead of a hospital despite the fact that I was bleeding from the nose after being hit by the traffic cop,” he said. Bathinda SSP Nanak Singh said a case under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC has been registered against Jeeda.

He said that police haven’t yet received communication regarding the injury to Jeeda from hospital and once it is received, action will be taken accordingly.  DBA president  Kanwaljit Singh Kuti said lawyers will abstain from work on Monday and may launch a statewide agitation if action is not taken against the traffic constable.

Infuriated lawyers under the banner of District Bar Association (DBA) staged a protest outside the SSP office, demanding action against the cop. AAP’s core committee chairman and Budhlada MLA Budh Ram said party leaders and workers will protest outside the SSP office if action is not taken against the cop.