THEOG (SHIMLA DISTRICT): Seven armed personnel of the Punjab police, suspected to have been sent here for booth capturing during polling for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Nov.9, were detained by the state police here Nov, 7 During interrogation, they are believed to have told the state police that they were sent from Jalandhar by the SP along with nine buses for transporting the supporters of the Congress candidate, Mrs. Vidya Stokes. Six buses with Punjab registration numbers have so far been stopped by the police here while these were carrying Stoke’s supporters to a rally.

Out of a total of nine Punjab police personnel five SPOs, three constables and one head constable seven were detained. Two could not be traced. They were allowed to go after being questioned.

Iris alleged that the Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh, who is the thief election in charge of the Congress for Himachal, had sent police personnel from his state for booth capturing and rigging here.

The tactical mistake that the detained police personnel made was that they were moving around in Punjab buses carrying sophisticated arms and wearing uniforms.

The buses were sent here without any authorization. The drivers did not carry any vehicle registration papers. They are believed to have told the ASP, S.K.Sharma that the papers were in the custody of the District Transport Officer, Jalandhar, who had forced them to work for the Congress candidate here.

Various political parties had been complaining that with the presence of Beant Singh and Bhajan Lal on the electoral scene of Himachal there right be booth capturing and rigging in favor of the Congress candidates. A former Chief Minister and BJP leader, Shanta Kumar, has sent a telegram to the Chief Election Commissioner, T.N. Seshan, to take serious note of the misuse of official machinery to the elections by the Congress.

Beant Singh and Bhajan Lal, he alleged, had sent men and vehicles for booth capturing in the state.

Shanta Kumar urged Seshan to order the withdrawal of the Punjab police from Himachal to ensure a free and fair poll. With a battle royal between Stokes and Rakesh Verma of the BJP, heavily armed personnel of the BSF, the CRPF and the Railway Protection Force have been deployed in Strength, besides the state police and the Home Guards.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 12, 1993