PANCHKULA: Chaman Lal, who had been allegedly kidnapped by Manjit Singh Kang (Kala), brother of Punjab Irrigation Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang and his accomplice, on Nov.5, resurfaced here on Nov.8 morning in a shaken state at the house of his brother-in-law D.K.Gupta.

He said he was released by two unidentified men near Zirakpur al 1 Am., from where he reached Gupta’s house.

Following this incident, the police have registered a case and arrested Pritpal, who is Kang’s partner, and two gunmen. Manjit Kang is absconding.

Relating the sequence of events Chaman Lal told a Punjab police party, “On Friday when I, along with four others, was excavating sand at a khud near Mullanpur, Kang, his two gunmen and partner Pritpal told me to stop quarrying sand from there as that area was under their control.

When I told them that! Had stay order from the court on the dispute they got angry and all of a sudden bundled me into their jeep.

They also tried to catch the other persons with me but they managed to escape into the bushes.”

They took him to what appeared to him to be a guest house somewhere in Sector 18 and “Kang threatened to kill me by hanging Pritpal intervened and said he would get me shot by a police officer posted at Kharar. They beat me up and then took me to the house of Kang’s mother, Where I fell at her feet and pleaded with her to save my life. She told me to. Manage on little earnings but not to interfere with her son’s work.

From there, Chaman alleged he was taken to another house and kept in a locked room for the next two days.

I was only given some bread and water each morning and nothing: else after that he stated.

On Noy.7, two Sikh men, whom I had never seen, came and told me to get ready to die. As T had a mild fever they gave me an injection after which 1 felt drowsy, he says.

Gupta, on the other hand, alleged that to give weight to the lie that they had not detained Chaman Lal; a police area party came to my house on Friday night itself to ask me if Chaman was here.

Again on Sunday, accompanied by a police inspector, Pritpal came here and insisted that he had left Charman at my house.

Chaman Lai told the police that the writ of the Kang brothers runs in the Mullanpurarea, Most of the others quarrying there are routinely intimidated by them, he said. He has been quarrying there for the last three months on the basis of a power of attorney for a contract in the name of Manmohan Singh.

He alleged that during his detention Kang threatened to get the power of attorney cancelled as he claimed that he had the sole night to quarry in that area.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 12, 1993