Terming the incident at the Chandigarh airport- where actor-turned MP Kangana Ranault was slapped by a woman CISF staffer on Thursday- as most unfortunate, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar today said any form of violence as a means of expressing dissent was unacceptable and needs condemnation.
Jakhar said, “What is even more concerning is that a person wearing a security uniform indulged in such an unlawful violent act. The statement was made by Kangana Ranault three years ago on protesting farmers. Her statement may be was insensitive and not in good taste. But, a security staffer resorting to physical assault by slapping the MP in resentment of the hurt she felt sets a wrong precedent,” the state BJP president said, adding that acts like the one at the Chandigarh airport tend to defame Punjab and it's people.
Sunil Jakhar not only questioned the timing of the incident but also the outpouring of support from certain quarters for a person who took law in her hands. Jakhar said the statement was made three years ago and its aftereffect surfaced now in the form of an attack on a BJP parliamentarian.
“The timing makes the incident curious. It comes at a time when Punjab is undergoing an undercurrent of overt radical posturing. The narrative of support being played out in support of the security staffer, instead of being condemned, endangers the social order. It may have far reaching consequences. Such discourse is potent enough to incite hotheaded minds to resort to more similar acts in future endangering harmony and lives,” Sunil Jakhar said.