Punjab Speaker records statement before SC Commission

: The Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes today recorded statement of the Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal in the complaint regarding assault of Head Constable Jai Pal, inside the Assembly complex last week by Congress MLAs.
The policeman, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste community, was allegedly manhandled and ridiculed with casteist remarks.
Chairman of the Commission Rajesh Bagha said in a statement here that the three member Commission recorded the statement of Atwal, "as he was the custodian of the Punjab Assembly where the alleged assault and denigration of an on-duty Head Constable (Jai Pal) belonging to SC category took place."

The policeman had appeared before the Commission here yesterday and had requested for security cover to him and his family members as he feared threat from the accused MLAs, Bagha said in his statement yesterday.
Two other members of the Commission are Parkash Singh Gardhiwala and Dalip Singh Pandhi.
"The Speaker has given a detailed statement to the Commission about the sequence of events, including assault on the on-duty victim by a group of Congress MLAs, and his action on the victim's complaint," Bagha said.

Atwal also informed that the complaint has been forwarded to Chandigarh Police, which has registered a FIR under sections 147,149, 332, 353, 384 of the IPC, he said.

The complaint came in the wake of exchange of blows between the Watch and Ward staff and the Congress members after the former tried to remove the Tarn Taran girl, beaten up publicly by the police, from the Assembly complex who had come in without any authorisation.
Due to the ruckus inside the Assembly, nine Congress MLAs were suspended for the remaining of the ongoing budget session scheduled till Monday.