Complainant against Punjab minister attacked, 8 booked

An advocate who had filed a complaint against Punjab Minister Anil Joshi in dual voting case was allegedly attacked by a group of persons here following which police booked eight men, including a city BJP Councillor.
Assailants attacked advocate Vaneet Mahajan and his brother Avneesh when they were travelling in their car on the court road here last evening.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police J S Aulakh said today that eight persons had been booked under various sections of the IPC, including attempt to murder, for the attack on the advocate and his brother.
Among those booked by police include city's BJP Councillor Prabhjeet Ratoul, Aulakh said adding that no arrest had been made so far.

Vaneet Mahajan and his colleague advocate Sandeep Gorsi had dragged Local Bodies Minister Joshi to court in a dual vote case against him, his wife and seven members of the minister's family. A local court, later, had issued bailable warrants against Joshi in the dual vote case.
Mahajan alleged that he and Gorsi were being targeted as they had to depose against Joshi in court tomorrow but Joshi said he had nothing to do with the incident.

On Friday night, an attempt to murder case was also registered against Gorsi on a complaint of Rakesh Bhardwaj, a former Private Assistant of Joshi.

Bhardwaj had alleged that on Friday, Gorsi and Amritsar Municipal Councillor Gurinder Rishi of Congress had made a murderous attack on him. However, Gorsi said that he had been implicated in a false case.
Joshi said he had nothing to do with the incidents that took place on Saturday and Friday and the advocates were trying to malign his image.
"They blame me for everything that happens in Amritsar," he added.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress described it as a case of vendetta and threatened to launch a protest in the city.
A local court had recently issued non-bailable warrants against the minister in two separate defamation cases and another related to destruction of private property filed by the two lawyers.

Joshi's application for anticipatory bail is to come up for hearing in the court of the district sessions judge in these cases tomorrow.