Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday staged a protest near Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh, accusing the party of failing to act against its functionary Barinder Singh Dhillon over the alleged assault and humiliation of Dalit leader Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra.The protest came a day after the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) issued a show-cause notice to Dhillon over the Oct 27 altercation at Congress Bhawan. The party’s disciplinary action committee chairman, Avtar Henry, sought his reply within three days, warning of disciplinary action if it was unsatisfactory. Dhillon has denied allegations of manhandling, saying there was only an exchange of verbal arguments.Raising slogans of “Dalit Virodhi Congress Murdabad” and “Sikh Virodhi Congress Murdabad”, AAP functionaries and members demanded justice for Tarkhan Majra and action against those responsible.An AAP functionary said party workers had planned to gherao Congress Bhawan, but Chandigarh Police used water cannons and force to stop them. AAP functionaries were detained and taken to Sector 17 police station, he added.AAP Punjab president Aman Arora questioned Rahul Gandhi’s silence on the alleged assault, saying he had spoken at length during his Punjab visit for an Insaaf Rally but had not addressed the incident. “If a senior Dalit leader can face such treatment inside the Congress party’s own headquarters, it raises serious questions about the party’s attitude towards Dalit dignity,” Arora said.Tarkhan Majra had alleged that Dhillon assaulted him during an altercation at Congress Bhawan and used casteist and derogatory language against him. He had approached the Congress leadership seeking strict action against Dhillon.
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