Punjab BJP leaders including its chief Ashwani Sharma detained in Jalandhar

Several Punjab BJP leaders, including state BJP chief Ashwani Sharma, Union minister Som Parkash, former Union minister of state Vijay Sampla, senior party leader Manoranjan Kalia and state NJP general secretary Jeevan Gupta were detained by the Punjab police after they began their 'Dalit Insaf Yatra' on Thursday in Jalandhar. The district administration claimed that the BJP leadership had not sought permission to take out the rally.

The BJP leaders and workers were detained and their cavalcade of vehicles was stopped by the police soon after they assembled at Surya Enclave to start the rally. #

The Punjab unit of the BJP had planned to take out the rally in protest against alleged atrocities on the scheduled caste community and post-matric Scheduled Caste scholarship ‘scam’ in the state. The rally was to start from Jalandhar and end at the residence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in Chandigarh. The detained leaders were taken to Circuit House in Jalandhar and were later let off.

Union Minister Som Parkash said the protest rally was organised against the alleged multi-crore post-matric Scheduled Caste scholarship ‘scam’ and "atrocities" on Dalits. "We wanted to wake up the state government from its slumber on these issues through this rally," he said.

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said that the party will continue to fight till the SC community gets justice. Sampla termed their detention ‘unconstitutional’.

The state BJP leaders have been demanding a CBI probe into the alleged scholarship scam in which the name of a Punjab Cabinet Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot had figured.

After allegations of Rs 64 crore misappropriation in the scheme had surfaced, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had directed the chief secretary to conduct a thorough enquiry. The chief secretary's report, based on the findings of the three-member panel of IAS officers led by Food Secretary KAP Sinha, had exonerated Dharamsot, reported PTI.