Spanish-Punjabi couple attacked in Dalhousie; Congress blames Kangana's 'terrorist' remarks
What's the story
A Punjabi NRI and his Spanish wife were allegedly assaulted by a group of 100-150 individuals over a parking dispute in Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, on Thursday.
According to reports, the man sustained head injuries and a broken arm. The attackers also deleted the videos of the incident and allegedly misbehaved with his Spanish wife.
This incident has now sparked a political row, with Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders linking the violence to recent comments made by Kangana Ranaut.
Remarks
What did Ranaut say
Ranaut had recently expressed concerns about the rise of terrorism and extremism in Punjab after she was slapped by a CISF woman constable at Chandigarh airport last week.
The now-fired CISF official from Punjab allegedly slapped the newly-elected MP because she was upset with Ranaut's stance on the farmers' protests.
Shortly after the incident, Ranaut took to X and said, "I am safe, but, my concern is that terrorism and extremism are increasing in Punjab... How do we handle that?"
Political reaction
Politicians attribute assault to Ranaut's remarks
Ranaut's remarks were met with strong disapproval, with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann calling out the actor-politician for labeling the entire state a terrorist.
Gurjeet Singh Aujla, the Congress MP from Amritsar, also voiced his concern over the remarks, stating, "This attack is a reaction to Kangana's inflammatory statement terming Punjabis as terrorists."
Similarly, SAD leader Bikram Majithia linked the assault directly to Ranaut's comments about rising terrorism in Punjab.
Urgent measures
Call for action and accountability in wake of assault
Both leaders have called for accountability and stricter measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Aujla and Majithia also urged public leaders to avoid making divisive and destructive words that may instigate violence.
The victim, Kawaljit Singh, stated that he had been living in Spain for almost 25 years and had recently returned to India to start his own business and provide work to locals in Punjab.
Twitter Post
Statement by the victim
A Spanish-Punjabi couple who went to Dalhousie for vacation alleged that they were badly beaten by locals following an argument over parking their car. The confrontation escalated into a violent attack, resulting in the man sustaining head injuries and a broken arm. They also… pic.twitter.com/oIjfzp6Cp4
— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) June 15, 2024