‘Satkar Nahin Balatkaar’ Protest: Harsimrat Badal Demands CM Mann’s Resignation

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal led a protest by the party’s women’s wing, the Istri Akali Dal, towards Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Chandigarh on Saturday.
The protesters demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and registration of a criminal case against his wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann. The demonstration was held under the banner of the Akali women’s ‘Satkar Nahin Balatkaar’ protest.
Harsimrat Badal was accompanied by MLA Ganieve Kaur and Istri Akali Dal president Hargobind Kaur. Police erected heavy barricades to prevent the protesters from reaching the Chief Minister’s residence.
After being stopped, the protesters staged a sit-in on the road and courted arrest. The protest was part of the SAD’s campaign over allegations concerning the Chief Minister’s Office and a case involving allegations of rape and kidnapping.
Harsimrat Badal makes allegations
Addressing the protesters, Harsimrat Badal alleged that the Chief Minister’s Office had become a centre of corruption. She claimed that a man facing rape and kidnapping complaints from two women had been allowed to go free.
Badal further alleged that the accused had been promised favourable treatment, including a possible transfer from Amritsar jail to Patiala jail and treatment at a hospital where, she claimed, he would have access to drugs.
These allegations have been made by the SAD and have not been independently established. The Chief Minister’s Office has rejected the allegations as baseless and accused the Shiromani Akali Dal of concocting stories.
SAD announces wider agitation
Harsimrat Badal said the SAD would launch a mass movement across Punjab until all those accused in the case were arrested.
She also demanded the dismissal of police officers whom she alleged had filed cancellation reports favouring the rape accused and facilitating his release from jail.
The Bathinda MP called for protection for the women who had filed complaints against the media influencer and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the entire matter.
Badal also claimed that five women had personally approached the Chief Minister with complaints against the same accused but alleged that no action was taken. She said the circumstances surrounding the complaints and the alleged response of the Chief Minister’s Office should also be investigated.
Women leaders appeal for support
Istri Akali Dal president Hargobind Kaur and MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia appealed to people across Punjab to unite over what they described as the cause of women who had allegedly been wronged.
They also called for an end to what they described as corruption in the Chief Minister’s Office.
The protest comes amid a wider political dispute between the SAD and the Aam Aadmi Party government over allegations concerning the Chief Minister’s Office and the handling of cases involving a rape accused. The allegations and counter-allegations remain part of an ongoing political and legal controversy.