FARIDKOT, February 28: On the morning of February 16, Akali Dal activists allegedly herded 400 voters, mainly Dalits, of Ward No 1 in Muktsar, to a cotton mill on Jalalabad road. They were promised an ``advance payment'' if they voted for Akali candidate, Sukhbir Singh Badal, son of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.Two of them, Mohinder Kaur (56) and Ravinder Kumar (19), told The Indian Express that the voters were forced, at gunpoint, to sit in a huge room which was then locked from outside. This was apparently done to keep them away from polling booths lest they vote for Congress candidate Jagmeet Singh Brar. Later in the afternoon, following the intervention of Brar's brother, Ripjit Singh, these voters were allowed to go. But by then, each one had already been given the indelible inkmark on the forefinger - and some money.Congress workers did protest but according to one of them, Gurmit Singh, instead of taking action against those who detained them, the police booked some Congressactivists, including Ripjit Singh.Manoj Kumar of Ward No 12 and Charanjit Singh of Ward No 1 in Muktsar, both in their thirties, admitted to being paid Rs 200 each to cast votes in favour of the Akali nominee.What happened at the cotton mill isn't an isolated incident. Neither is it new. The Indian Express spoke to several people spread over 20 villages, who alleged blatant malpractices on polling day. The Indian Express has at least 20 persons on tape admitting that they were either paid to vote for the Akali Dal candidate or paid to stay away from the polling booth. Most of them added that the ``going rate'' per vote was ``lower than last time''.Allegations that money was paid to buy votes are being made by residents of Jeevan Nagar, Balbir Basti, Sanjay Nagar and Dasmesh Nagar in Faridkot. They admitted to getting between Rs 100-Rs 200 to cast votes for the Akali candidate.Similar reports have come from Machaki, Nawan Kila, Kamiana, Dhudi, Malki and Saho (Faridkot), Sanghu Doun,Barkandi, Kauni, Rupana (Muktsar), Thamanwala, Chhota Ghar and Bada Ghar (Moga).Residents told The Indian Express that it was mainly outsiders who were involved in distributing money though local Akali leaders were also privy to the exercise.But Sukhbir Singh Badal, when contacted at his residence in Badal village yesterday, said the ``baseless'' allegations were ``orchestrated'' by the Congress candidate who feared defeat. And that men from Brar's camp had tried to disrupt the polls. (Counting of votes is scheduled for March 2.)Jagmeet Brar, however, has demanded an inquiry saying that the election be countermanded and held again under the purview of paramilitary forces. Incidentally, this time most of the polling booths were manned by Punjab Police personnel.The Indian Express has come across several instances of irregularities on polling day in favour of the Akalis. And quite a few cases where no action has been taken:* Deputy Commissioner G S Grewal, who was reportedly orderedto be transferred by the EC in mid-January for not effectively implementing the Model Code of Conduct, was allowed to continue.* The EC had taken a serious note of the hoardings set up in Faridkot, which carried the portraits of the Chief Minister and Sukhbir Badal, thanking the latter for his ``endeavour'' to get the state's Rs 8,500-crore loan waived by the Centre. It was also alleged that Sukhbir Badal had announced a grant of Rs one lakh on behalf of the DC (in his presence) at a public function.But an inquiry conducted by Faridkot Commissioner C S Srivastva gave him a clean chit. Srivastva says the grant was announced at a programme fixed before the election announcement. Admitting a lapse on the part of the DC in the hoardings case, he said: ``He was given the benefit of the doubt due to his lack of experience.''* On polling day, at around noon, Satbir Silas, an EC observer, received reports of wrongdoing at Panjgrain and sent the SDM and police constable Resham Singh to the spot. The constablewas allegedly beaten up at the residence of the village sarpanch when he tried to arrest an Akali activist who was said to be distributing money.While the police have registered a case against four persons, none of them has been arrested so far. The official version is that the police are yet to identify the accused.Though SSP Harchand Singh Sidhu denies allegations of bias, there are reports that an Assistant Sub Inspector of Police posted at a polling station in Faridkot was shifted on polling day for apparently refusing to let a senior Akali functionary and his supporters have their way.* Nihan Singh (70), sarpanch and his brother, Gurbax Singh, of village Thamanwala were allegedly attacked by Akali activists inside the village polling booth. Injured by sharp-edged weapons, they were admitted to CMC in Ludhiana from where they were discharged on February 26. Though the police registered a case under Section 326 of the IPC, the accused continue to be at large.Moga SSP Lajpal Singh attributes the``fight'' to personal reasons rather than political ones. ``The matter is being probed to identify the accused,'' he said.- With Kulvinder Kular and K B Kapur
