United show: AAP protests attack on party candidate

PATIALA: Even a day after the elections, Punjab AAP has kept its "political activism" alive when five of its Lok Sabha candidates and half-a-dozen members of its state committee on Thursday put up a united face and sat on a dharna in front of Patiala district secretariat against Wednesday's attack on Patiala AAP candidate Dr Dharamvira Gandhi and its members at several places.

The party also started an indefinite relay hunger strike in front of the district secretariat as the administration didn't accept AAP's demand for registration of attempt to murder case against assailants and repolling at the booths which where, according to AAP leaders, "captured" by Akalis.

Besides Dr Gandhi, Ludhiana AAP candidate HS Phoolka, Bathinda candidate Jassi Jasraj, party's candidate from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann and AAP's contender from Anandpur Sahib Himmat Singh Shergill addressed the protesters and demanded immediate action against the accused, including SAD's municipal councillor Rajinder Singh Virk.

Patiala Congress candidate Preneet Kaur visited Gandhi in the evening. She was accompanied by former chairman of Patiala Improvement Trust KK Sharma.

Rakhra accompanies Virk

Meanwhile, the Patiala police on Thursday produced SAD councillor Rajinder Virk , where he was accompanied by Charanjit Singh Rakhra, who is a senior Akali leader and brother of Punjab cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra. Besides, Patiala mayor Amarinder Bajaj and several other councilors of SAD accompanied Virk to court, which sent him to 14-day judicial custody.