CISF const. arrested for Kangana 'slap', farmers stand in support

CISF constable Kulwinder Kaur, who allegedly slapped actor and BJP MP-elect Kangana Ranaut at Chandigarh airport, has been arrested after she was suspended in the wake of the incident.

The newly-elected MP from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, said she was "slapped and assaulted" by Kaur at the airport on 6 June. The incident occurred when Ranaut was travelling to New Delhi for the meeting of the new BJP parliamentary party scheduled on 7 June.

Ranaut posted a video on X saying Kaur was upset with the newly-elected MP's earlier negative remarks on protests by farmers in Punjab. She clarified that she was safe, but expressed her concern over the "rise of extremism and terrorism in Punjab".

In another video that went viral, Kaur was seen saying "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."

However, some farmer outfits on 7 June threw their weight behind Kaur, saying the entire sequence of events leading to the incident needs to be properly investigated.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha were among prominent outfits which said they stood in support of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable.

SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said they would meet Punjab's director-general of police Gaurav Yadav for a proper investigation into the matter.

"We will demand a proper investigation and we will tell him that there should be no injustice with the woman constable," Dallewal said addressing a press conference in Chandigarh with Pandher and some other farmer leaders.

On 6 June, Kaur's brother said they learned about the incident from the media. The constable's brother, who is based in Kapurthala, had said his sister has been in service for the past 15 years and had served in many places including Kerala, Chennai and Amritsar.

Dallewal and Pandher said Kaur's brother was active in farmers' movements as part of their organisation. They lashed out at Ranaut for stating that terrorism was increasing in Punjab and Pandher alleged that Ranaut had hurt sentiments with her comments against farmers, elderly women and Punjabis in the past.

Dallewal said various reports seem to indicate that there was some argument from Ranaut's side during the security check when her purse and mobile phone were being sought for checking. If this is so, then the constable is not to be blamed, she was doing her duty, he said.

"And everyone knows the previous track record of Ranaut and the kind of language she has used towards farmers. There must have been an argument and the result must have led to the incident. All these things need proper investigation," he said.

Taking on Ranaut over her "terrorism" and "extremism" remark, Dallewal said, "In Punjab, communities of all faiths co-exist peacefully. We demand that a case be filed and courts take suo motu cognisance of the wordings used by the BJP MP.

"Ranaut is an actor and now even a MP, she should not speak such language. This is condemnable. We demand that action be taken against her," he said.

The two farmer leaders claimed that people, including farmers, have taught BJP a lesson in the recently held Lok Sabha polls. "From rural areas, 73 of their candidates lost this time," he claimed.

In Haryana, they could win only five seats, in Uttar Pradesh, they had to face heavy defeat, while they also lost heavily in Rajasthan. During farmers' agitation, the authorities used tear gas and bullets on protesters, and people of the country have expressed their anger through the ballot, Dallewal said.

With PTI inputs