On 9th June, farmer unions will hold “Insaaf March”, a protest march in Mohali in support of now-suspended CISF woman constable Kulwinder Kaur who assaulted MP-elect of Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Kangana Ranaut at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Chandigarh on 6th June. The march is scheduled to begin at 10 AM from Amb Sahib Gurudwara in Phase 8, Mohali, and proceed towards the SSP office located in Sector 76.
Bhartiya Kisan Naujawan Union, Samyukta Kisan Morch (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee will lead the protest to show their support for Kaur. Notably, Kaur was booked under Sections 323 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the complaint filed by CISF.
SKM leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said in a statement during a press conference, “We will demand a proper investigation and we will tell him that there should be no injustice with the woman constable.” Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher have planned to meet Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav to seek a proper investigation into the matter.
Kaur was suspended almost immediately after the incident on 6th June. Her husband is also a CISF official posted in Jammu.
Kangana Ranaut assault
On 6th June, MP-elect from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Kangana Ranaut, was scheduled to take a flight from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh. During a security check, Kulwinder Kaur slapped her and justified her actions saying that she was irked by the statement Ranaut gave during farmer protests where she alleged that Punjabi women were sitting at protests in exchange for money. Kaur claimed her mother was also sitting at the protest site at that time.
Speaking on the matter, her brother Sher Singh came out in her support. Kaur’s brother, Sher Singh Mahiwal, leads a group of farmers and serves as the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee’s organisational secretary. Her mother also came out to defend her daughter. His organisation is one of the three organisations leading the protests on 9th June in favour of Kulwinder Kaur. Her mother Veer Kaur justified her daughter’s actions, stating that whatever she did was absolutely justified. She argued that Kangana must have instigated her by using inappropriate language, claiming that her daughter wouldn’t have done this otherwise.
CISF top officer Vinay Kajla, who is serving as DIG CISF, Airports (North Sector), said in a statement that Kulwinder acted due to a “rush of blood” as she was agitated by the statement made by Ranaut during farmer protests. He claimed that Kulwinder was apologetic and realised the extent of the damage she had caused to CISF.
It appears that the family is now trying to whitewash the irresponsible and dangerous actions of Kulwinder Kaur. According to Tribune’s report, Kulwinder’s husband told DIG Kajla that 15 days ago, a girl approached Kulwinder for a photograph to which she obliged and gave the little girl a chocolate. Such stories are often put in front to tone down criminal actions. Reportedly, Kulwinder’s husband has also been sent on leave for a few days.
Furthermore, DIG Kajla himself said that Kulwinder was not supposed to be at the spot where the incident took place. She was deployed in the frisking zone and Ranaut was passing through an adjacent area when the incident happened. He said, “Kulwinder was not supposed to be there and came to know about the MP’s presence only after a Punjab Police cop informed her. The incident took place outside a cubicle. We have a digital footprint of every happening inside the airport. The CISF is reviewing the protocol related to the personnel here.”
It is clear that Kulwinder Kaur not only slapped a newly elected MP while being in uniform but also went against the rules and left her position at the airport leaving other passengers’ safety in jeopardy just to act in the “rush of blood”.
