The standoff over Rajya Sabha bypoll nominee Navneet Chaturvedi entered a tense second day on Wednesday, with over 200 Punjab Police personnel camping outside the Sector 3 police station in Chandigarh through the night, waiting to arrest him as soon as he steps out.
The development comes a day after a confrontation between Punjab and Chandigarh Police over his custody created dramatic scenes near Sukhna Lake on Tuesday afternoon. While the two forces avoided any repeat of the previous day’s clash, the stalemate continues as the Punjab and Haryana High Court is set to hear the matter today i.e. Wednesday.
Chaturvedi, who has been accused of forging signatures of AAP MLAs on his Rajya Sabha nomination papers, remains inside the Chandigarh police station. Punjab Police from Ropar, which has registered an FIR in the case, claim to have valid court orders to arrest him. However, Chandigarh Police have declined to hand him over, saying that the matter is now sub judice and that Chaturvedi has sought protection from arrest.
Sources said the Punjab Police teams reached Chandigarh late Monday night, after the alleged scuffle between officers of both forces earlier in the day. The Ropar team has since been stationed near the Sector 3 police station, maintaining round-the-clock vigil. “We will take him into custody once he comes out. We are acting strictly as per the court’s orders,” a senior Punjab Police officer was quoted as saying.
The controversy began when Chaturvedi, who had first filed his nomination papers on October 6, resubmitted them on October 13 with the signatures of several AAP MLAs. The papers were subsequently challenged, leading to allegations of forgery and the registration of an FIR by Punjab Police.
Chaturvedi, on the other hand, has accused the Punjab Police of attempting to forcibly abduct him from within a Chandigarh police station, and has moved the High Court seeking protection. The court is expected to hear the matter and decide whether Punjab Police can take him into custody or if Chandigarh Police will retain protection till further orders.
For now, the uneasy calm continues outside the Sector 3 station, where Punjab Police personnel have spent the night in their vehicles, waiting for a chance to act on their warrant.
