Wall of MLA Khaira’s house razed, vendetta alleged

Jalandhar: A wall of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira's ancestral house in his native village Ramgarh, Kapurthala district, was demolished by the panchayat department on Monday amid a heavy police presence. The action led to high drama as Khaira resisted the move, sitting in front of the JCB and arguing with officials during a prolonged stand-off. His supporters gathered at the spot, raising slogans, while the confrontation continued for several minutes. Once Khaira stood up, police personnel took him away, after which the demolition was carried out. Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora later arrived at the site and supervised the operation.Khaira termed the action a "blatant case of political vendetta", alleging that the demolition was ordered at the behest of chief minister Bhagwant Mann. He accused SSP Toora of personally overseeing the operation with "brute police force". Khaira live-streamed the stand-off, his exchanges with officials, and the demolition itself, and described the episode as the "dangerous introduction of bulldozer politics in Punjab" under directions from the CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
During the live stream, Khaira repeatedly asked block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) Kulwinder Singh why no notice had been served on him. The BDPO maintained that the notice had been issued to the panchayat. Khaira countered that sarpanch Dharminder, who was present at the spot, had denied receiving any notice. He also asked police officials to show him a copy of the notice issued to either him or the sarpanch. As the standoff continued, SSP Toora reached the site, but Khaira said he received no satisfactory response. Police later removed Khaira and several supporters, and the demolition proceeded amid slogans against the state government.BDPO Kulwinder Singh, when contacted later in the evening, said the process had been underway "for quite a few days". He insisted the notice had been served to the sarpanch and the panchayat, claiming the sarpanch had refused to accept it. "We have everything on the file," he said.Khaira said the demolished wall was part of his ancestral house, where his family had lived for more than 200 years. He asserted that he possessed complete documentary proof of ownership and said the action was taken without giving him an opportunity to be heard. Announcing legal action, Khaira said he would soon approach the Punjab and Haryana high court against the "illegal demolition", and vowed to hold "all guilty police and civil officials" accountable.He alleged the demolition was the latest in a series of "false cases, arrests and imprisonment" aimed at silencing his criticism of the AAP government.