Kapurthala (Pb), Apr 27 (PTI) Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira was booked on Thursday for alleged criminal intimidation, obstructing public servant and threat of injury based on a complaint filed by the sub-divisional magistrate of Bholath in Punjab's Kapurthala district.

Khaira, who represents Bholath in the Punjab Assembly, however, denied the charges and alleged that it was "the result of extreme hatred and grudge that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann bears in his heart against me".

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In his complaint to the chief minister on March 29, SDM Sanjeev Sharma alleged that he was being subjected to humiliation, mental torture, harassment and indignity by Khaira.

He also alleged in the complaint, which was part of the FIR, that the Bholath legislator had been trying to obstruct him from smooth functioning.

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"Of late, he has started threatening me... which raises apprehension of danger to my life and limb by him," the FIR stated quoting the SDM's complaint.

Sharma alleged that Khaira and supporters laid siege to the SDM office on March 29 and made remarks unbecoming of an elected people's representative.

The SDM also alleged that Khaira, in a live video on Facebook, tried to "harangue" him while asking "unwarranted questions just to humiliate and demean me".

In a separate complaint to the Punjab chief secretary, Sharma said that Khaira had given a notice for holding a 'dharna' at the SDM office on April 10 over alleged non-disbursement of compensation for damaged crops due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm.

The call for dharna was "totally unprovoked and uncalled for", the SDM alleged, adding the government has already announced special girdawari and disbursement of compensation in a time-bound manner.

He further alleged that the dharna was likely aimed at creating an atmosphere of threat, intimidation and bullying.

The FIR has been registered against Khaira under IPC sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 500 (punishment for defamation) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Responding to the allegation, Khaira tweeted, "The FIR against me is the result of extreme hatred and grudge that (Punjab Chief Minister) Bhagwant Mann bears in his heart against me! I only want to say I won't be intimidated by gross misuse of state machinery and police by the CM to settle personal scores."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)