Chandigarh, Jan. 11 -- Political tensions escalated in Chandigarh on Sunday as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers staged protests, alleging that family members of councillors who recently defected from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the BJP were being targeted by the authorities ahead of the mayoral elections.

The protests followed the arrest of the sister of Councillor Suman Devi by the Punjab Police on Sunday morning. Suman Devi, along with Councillor Poonam Devi, had joined the BJP in December, weeks before the crucial mayoral election in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

Reacting strongly to the incident, Chandigarh Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla termed it a "petty incident" and criticised the manner in which women were allegedly tre...