The Congress activist who raised former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s slogans from the stage during the party’s ‘Har Booth, Congress Mazboot’ programme attended by AICC general secretary incharge for Punjab Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring at Goneana Mandi in Bathinda district on Monday has been identified as Kamaldeep Singh of Fatehpur village in Mansa district.He is facing two criminal cases, including one under the NDPS Act involving the alleged recovery of 506 gm of heroin.Numberdar of Fatehpur village Sukhpal Singh, and father of 23-year-old Kamaldeep, however claimed that both cases against his son were false.Speaking to The Tribune on Tuesday, Sukhpal said, “My son was booked in a case registered under the NDPS Act at Talwandi Sabo police station in May last year while he was on his way to Bathinda. The police planted 506 gm of heroin on him and others. Around two months ago, he was also booked by Jhunir police in Mansa district in a case related to allegedly abetting a person to attempt suicide, which is at the cancellation stage. He is currently out on bail, and anyone can verify our family’s credentials in the village. Our family owns a textile shop at Jhunir in Mansa.”Sukhpal said his family had been associated with the Congress for a long time and added that his father had served as the village sarpanch for several years.“My son is a supporter of Bikram Singh Mofar, though they had some differences in the past. I do not think Kamaldeep did anything wrong by raising slogans in favour of Channi during the party programme in Bathinda,” he said.Sukhpal further claimed that his son had gone to the party’s similar event in Mansa on Jattvibeday as well. “He was asking some people not to argue with anyone, but is now being portrayed as if he was arguing with Channi’s supporters,” he claimed.Meanwhile, Fatehpur village sarpanch Mandar Singh said Kamaldeep’s family enjoyed a good reputation in the village but declined to comment on the criminal cases registered against Kamaldeep.The sloganeering took place on Monday when some Congress workers seated near the stage began raising slogans in support of Channi during the programme at Goneana Mandi. Warring responded by asking them to continue raising the slogans and invited Kamaldeep onto the stage to raise pro-Channi slogans from there.Warring then asked Kamaldeep to dial Channi’s phone number before the gathering. After two calls went unanswered, Warring told the youth to take his personal phone number and contact him whenever required.The incident came amid continuing factionalism within the Punjab Congress, with supporters of Channi and Warring raising rival slogans at recent party programmes in different parts of the state.