AAP's Patiala nominee submits memorandum to returning officer

AAP candidate from Patiala Lok Sabha seat Dharamvira Gandhi today submitted a memorandum to the returning officer-cum-Patiala deputy commissioner over yesterday's assault on him and alleged booth capturing by the ruling SAD-BJP activists.
Gandhi alleged an AAP worker was assaulted by Akali Dal activists, led by municipal councillor Rajinder Singh Virk, at Alipur Araiyan booth.
He also alleged that as police and election officials failed to initiate action against Virk and his associates, they threatened and attacked AAP workers in neighbouring booths and indulged in violence, bogus voting and booth capturing.
"Furthermore, Virk and his team of Akali workers came to Rasoolpur Saidan around 4 PM and directly entered into the booth and captured the main unit of voting machine and the other Akali workers captured the voting unit and together they cast large number of bogus votes.

"In the meantime I visited the spot and pleaded with them to stop this type of illegal activity and thereafter Virk attacked me, throwing furious punches on my head, face and chest and screamed repeatedly that he will kill me if I dare to stop them from their activities," the AAP candidate said.
Gandhi alleged that "After this attack and subsequent protest by AAP workers, the SSP came to the spot and gave assurance to take strict action against the perpetrators".
"Based on his assurance, we lifted the protest... Though police registered a case against Virk, appropriate sections of IPC for murderous assaults were excluded from the FIR which clearly shows the complicity of the police and the ruling SAD-BJP combine," he added.