Parking dispute in Dalhousie leads to assault on NRI; SAD, Congress leaders link it to Kangana incident

NEW DELHI: A Punjab-origin NRI, Kawaljit Singh, alleged he was assaulted by a group of men after an argument over parking while visiting Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh. Singh, who claims he was targeted for being Punjabi, is currently receiving treatment for his injuries at a hospital in Amritsar. The incident has raised tensions, with Punjab politicians demanding action from the Himachal Pradesh government.
Kawaljit Singh, who had been living in Spain with his wife for 25 years, recently returned to Punjab. During a trip to Dalhousie, he was allegedly attacked by around 100 people following a parking dispute. Singh also alleged police apathy in the matter.
The attack has led to reactions from various political figures. Congress MP from Amritsar, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, visited Singh at the hospital and expressed his dismay at the incident. "They (attackers) took the name of Kangana and told them (Singh) what you did with her we did with you, which is unfortunate and wrong," he said.
Aujla stated he would urge the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister to take necessary actions against those responsible.
"An FIR should be lodged and miscreants should be arrested," Aujla said in Amritsar.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also condemned the incident, linking it to recent events involving actor and BJP MP from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Kangana Ranaut. Majithia suggested that statements made by Ranaut had incited locals to target tourists from Punjab.
Kangana Ranaut recently accused CISF woman constable Kulwinder Kaur of slapping her at Chandigarh airport. Ranaut had been heading to Delhi after her election to the Lok Sabha from Mandi.
In a statement titled "Shocking rise in terror and violence in Punjab," posted on X, Ranaut recounted the incident with the constable.
"She hit me in the face and started abusing me. I asked her why she did it and she said she supports the farmer protests."
"I am safe but my concern is that terrorism and extremism are increasing in Punjab... How do we handle that?" Kangana Ranaut had said.
The constable involved in the incident was subsequently suspended, and an FIR was lodged.