Congress Leaders Slap Each Other at Faridabad Protest

GG News Bureau
Faridabad, 9th Oct: A protest rally by Congress and INDIA bloc leaders against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in Faridabad descended into a physical altercation on Thursday when two women Congress leaders, Parag Sharma and Gajna Lamba, allegedly slapped each other.

The incident, captured in a video circulating on social media, occurred during a march organised against alleged “vote theft”. Congress has been holding protests across Delhi-NCR, demanding the CEC’s resignation over allegations concerning the electoral process.

According to reports, Sharma, who contested the Assembly election from Ballabgarh, was walking with a Congress banner when a dispute broke out with Lamba, who was walking alongside her. The disagreement reportedly began when Lamba attempted to move ahead of Sharma. A verbal exchange followed, and the two women allegedly slapped each other.

Congress leaders present at the rally, including district president Baljit Kaushik, intervened to separate them and defuse the situation.

Confirming the incident, Station House Officer Vishnu Mittar said police had received separate complaints from both women. He said the dispute reportedly concerned the removal of a photograph and escalated into verbal abuse and physical assault.

“Both women have filed complaints against each other, claiming issues related to their posts/positions, which triggered the dispute. Both were attending a rally for Congress,” the officer said.

The march had been planned in Old Faridabad, from Chandi Wali Dharamshala to Pathwari Mandir, under the leadership of Haryana Mahila Congress president Pearl Chaudhary and Kaushik.

Kaushik described the incident as a dispute that could occur amid the movement of people in a crowded procession and said efforts would be made to resolve the matter.

Lamba later said she did not understand how the confrontation escalated into physical violence. Speaking to IANS, she alleged that Sharma had pinched her while they were walking and claimed the incident was part of a conspiracy. She also alleged that Sharma had used a caste-based slur against her.

Lamba said she had never met Sharma before and questioned why the latter had confronted her. She maintained that she had faith in the police and the legal process and had submitted a complaint after speaking with senior party leaders.

Her allegations remain claims made by her; no response from Sharma was available at the time of reporting. Sharma has not publicly commented on the incident so far.

The police have received complaints from both women. Further action will depend on the complaints and the course of the investigation.