Kangana slap row: Punjab Kisan Cong seeks fair probe

PTI, Jun 8, 2024, 4:14 PM IST

Punjab Kisan Congress chief Kiranjit Singh on Saturday came out in support of the CISF woman constable who allegedly slapped actor and BJP MP-elect Kangana Ranaut, demanding an impartial probe into the matter.
He also lashed out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for keeping mum on the incident.
Constable Kulwinder Kaur, who allegedly hit Ranaut and abused her during a security check at the Chandigarh airport on Thursday, has been suspended and an FIR lodged against her. She was apparently upset with Ranaut over her stance on the farmers’ protests.
The CISF, tasked with providing security at airports, has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident while the Mohali police has booked Kaur under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint). Both are bailable offences.
Addressing the media here, Singh said despite there being no CCTV footage of the slapping incident, the woman constable has been booked.
“When there is no footage of slapping then why an FIR has been registered? There should be an impartial probe into the matter,” he said.
He said all members of the Punjab Kisan Congress stand in solidarity with Kaur and her family, pledging unwavering support.
Singh slammed the actor for her statement that terrorism and extremism are increasing in Punjab.
Singh also criticised the Punjab chief minister for not issuing any statement on this issue.
“The Punjab CM calls himself a supporter of farmers then why is he keeping mum? He should clear his stand on this matter,” he said.
The Punjab Kisan Congress chief also urged newly-elected MPs from Punjab to raise this matter in Parliament.
Ranaut, in a video message on Thursday, said she was hit in the face and abused by the constable during a security check at the Chandigarh airport, the ugly fracas breaking out two days after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.
In a video statement titled “Shocking rise in terror and violence in Punjab” posted on X after she landed in Delhi following the incident on Thursday, Ranaut said she was safe and fine.
The constable, Ranaut had said, came towards her from the side.
“She hit me in the face and started abusing me. I asked her why she did it and she said she supports the farmer protests. I am safe but my concern is that terrorism and extremism are increasing in Punjab… How do we handle that?” Ranaut said.
Another video doing the rounds on social media showed the agitated constable talking to people presumably after the incident.
“Kangana made a statement (earlier) that farmers were protesting in Delhi because they were paid Rs 100 or Rs 200. At the time, my mother was one of the protesters,” she said in the purported video.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are among the prominent outfits which said they stand in support of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable.