CEO asks SSP Jammu to take appropriate action
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Police on Thursday lodged an FIR for alleged threats to former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who is the Congress candidate for Chammb Assembly Constituency.
In a formal complaint to Chief Electoral Officer, Tara Chand is reported to have complained about threats to his life during campaigning and after the polling culminated. Accordingly the CEO took up the matter with Senior Superintendent of Police Jammu for earnest appropriate action.
Tara Chand has complained about an alarming incident having taken place at his residence between 8:00 PM and 8.30 PM in the evening of October 1, 2024, coinciding with the conclusion of Assembly elections. He has specifically identified the attackers as Jatinder Singh alias Romi, Arjun Singh, and Ashok Singh, all residents of the Khour area in Jammu District.
Chand, a former Deputy CM and Speaker Legislative Assembly, highlighted his status as a protected person due to his political background and expressed concern over his safety while referring to the incident.
Recounting the sequence of events, Tara Chand said the armed assailants entered his residence in Village Chak Malal, Khour when he was interacting with some of his supporters, and asked him to accompany them. He said he recognized the alleged intruders, who he described as notorious criminals with a history of threatening him, saying he didn’t comply with their diktat fearing threat to his life. Tara Chand said the assailants had been hurling threats to him earlier also. Fearing for his life, the former Deputy CM said that on his refusal to accompany them, one of the assailants, Jatinder Singh attempted to pull out the weapon but his supporters intervened and averted the situation getting worst. He said the assailants fled from the scene while issuing threats to his life.
Following the incident, Chand promptly reported the matter telephonically to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Khour, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Akhnoor, and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu. Upon arrival at the scene, the SHO recorded Chand’s statement but no action had been initiated against the accused.
Accordingly, Tara Chand formally took up the issue with the Chief Electoral Officer, requesting for registration of First Information Report (FIR) against Jatinder Singh alias Romi, son of Karnail Singh, resident of Chak Malal, Tehsil Khour, District Jammu, Arjun Singh, son of Devi Singh, resident of Danwal, Tehsil Khour, District Jammu and Ashok Singh, son of Devi Singh, resident of Danwal, Tehsil Khour, District Jammu and two more persons, who were not known as they had been standing outside the house. Subsequently, the CEO took up the issue with the SSP Jammu for action.
Tara Chand has called for stern action under relevant legal provisions to uphold justice and maintain the sanctity of the electoral process.