RUPNAGAR: Congress leader Alka Lamba, summoned over a case of "inflammatory statements" against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, appeared before the police here on Wednesday as party workers held a protest outside the SSP office over the matter.
The case was lodged against former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas in Rupnagar town's Sadar police station on April 12.
Ahead of the Assembly polls, Vishwas had accused Kejriwal of supporting separatists.
Lamba has been accused of backing the remarks made by Vishwas.
Led by the Congress' state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the party workers staged the protest outside the office of Rupnagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) and raised slogans against the Bhagwant Mann government.
Besides Warring, senior party leaders, including Punjab Congress Legislature party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, MLAs Sukhjinder Randhawa, Raj Kumar Chabbewal, former ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Sidhu, Gurkirat Kotli and Punjab Youth Congress chief Brinder Dhillon accompanied Lamba when she reached Rupnagar to appear before the police.
Addressing the protesters, Warring slammed the AAP government in Punjab, accusing it of "misusing" the police for political vendetta.
He said the entire state leadership of the party came to Rupnagar in support of Lamba.
"We will not tolerate any injustice against our sister (Lamba)," Warring said.
Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu reached Rupnagar, separately, in support of Lamba.
"You (AAP) are trying to scare Alka Lamba. The people of Punjab have always stood by their daughters and sisters. We all stand by her," he told reporters outside the Rupnagar SSP office The former cricketer left the place after talking to reporters.
Lamba, while talking to the reporters, slammed the Mann-led government for sending police to her house to summon her.
She accused the AAP government of "misusing" the police against its political rivals.
A heavy police force was deployed outside the Rupnagar SSP office. The Punjab police on had on April 20 visited the homes of Vishwas and Lamba in connection with a case registered over "inflammatory statements" against Kejriwal.
Police had earlier summoned Lamba, the former AAP leader, on April 26 but she was later asked to appear before it on April 27.