Haryana BJP Lawmaker's SUV Set On Fire Inside MLA Hostel In Chandigarh

An SUV belonging to a Haryana BJP MLA, parked in the high-security Haryana MLA Hostel complex in Chandigarh, was set afire by an unidentified person, the police said today.

The incident, which occurred on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, was caught on CCTV cameras.

The arsonist, whose face was not visible in the video, is seen breaking the windscreen of Panipat MLA Pramod Kumar Vij's Toyota Fortuner and setting the vehicle on fire. A fire tender reached the spot and doused the fire, but the SUV's front portion was damaged.

"A case has been registered and investigations are on," the Station House of Office of Sector 3 police station, Sher Singh, said, adding, two to three people could be involved in the incident, and efforts are on to trace them.

Speaking to reporters outside the Hostel, Pramod Vij said he does not have enmity with anyone and has no clue why the vehicle was set on fire.

"Police are conducting a thorough probe. Let them complete their investigations," he said.

"Hopefully, they should be able to catch the culprits soon."

Notably, the site where the SUV had been parked is just a stone's throw away from the police station.

Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, who visited the MLA Hostel, said, "This is a serious issue and a matter of concern that the incident took place in a high-security area".

With the incident taking place in Chandigarh, the Speaker said he will soon hold a joint meeting with officials concerned of Punjab and Haryana to ensure that security arrangements are foolproof and such incidents do not recur.

"I have also spoken to the DGP of Haryana about the incident," the Speaker said.