Cutting across party lines, political leaders on Sunday condemned the brutal attack on the Punjab police by a group of nihangs in Patiala while seeking strict action against the perpetrators of the crime.
In a shocking incident on Sunday morning, an officer’s hand was chopped off with a sword and two other Punjab policemen injured when a group of nihangs attacked them after being asked to show curfew passes at a vegetable market in Patiala district.
Eleven people, including five attackers, were arrested hours later after an exchange of fire at a gurdwara where the group fled after the 6.15 am incident in Sanaur town.
Reacting to the incident, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh asked police to take strict action against law-breakers. “Police Party on Naka duty was attacked today in which one ASI's hand was cut off and 6 were injured. Police cornered the culprits and have taken them into custody. Have given instructions to the @PunjabPoliceInd to deal with anyone breaking the law in strictest possible manner,” the CM tweeted.
Akali stalwart and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal too condemned the attack, saying, “There is no place for violence in a civilized society.”
Badal said that the police throughout the country have been performing a difficult task most selflessly. The five-time CM urged the people to cooperate with the Centre and the State Government against the coronavirus outbreak.
Describing the incident as barbaric, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal sought action against “those who break the law”.
“The barbaric attack on cops by anti-social elements at Subji Mandi in Patiala is condemnable. All necessary steps should be taken to maintain law and order and everyone should cooperate with authorities. Those taking law into their own hands like this should be dealt with severely,” Sukhbir tweeted.
Flaying the brutal attack, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gobind Singh Longowal asked the people to follow the curfew restrictions.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state unit chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann demanded “strictest action” against the accused.
Senior advocate and AAP’s former Dakha MLA HS Phoolka sought “exemplary punishment” for the accused. “As culprits are arrested now, file charge sheet in two days and request court to complete trial within a week. It’s attempt to murder with injury, life imprisonment is maximum punishment. Culprits should be awarded life imprisonment to send a message,” he tweeted.
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal also demanded strict time-bound action against the accused and urged people to cooperate with the authorities amid the lockdown. “The shocking #attack on cops by anti- social elements at Sabji Mandi in #Patiala has shaken everyone. Strict time bound action & punishment should be given to these goons. I appeal to everyone to cooperate with the civil & police admn in these difficult times,” she tweeted.
Condemning the inhuman attack, another Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri demanded an “exemplary punishment” for the members of a Sikh sect saying that “such criminals and anarchists” should be brought to justice at the earliest.
“The inhuman attack on policemen in Patiala needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms. Such criminals and anarchists should be brought to justice at the earliest. They deserve exemplary punishment,” he tweeted.
THREE CASES REGISTRED
Three separate cases — one regarding the attack on police party at Sabzi Mandi, second regarding Gurudwara incident, and third under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act — have been registered against the accused.
The first has been registered at Sadar Patiala police station for attempt to murder, grievous hurt, rioting, attack on public servant under the Indian penal Code (IPC), and also under provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 against Balwinder Singh, Jagmeet Singh, Bant Singh and Nirbhav Singh.
The second case has been registered against 11 persons, including the woman, at Passiana police station for attempt to murder, attack on police Party, 54 DMA Act 2005, Sections 3, 4 Explosives Act, sections 13,16,18,20 of UAPA Act 1967, Sections 25, 54, 59 Arms Act.
Another case under NDPS Act was registered for recovery of five to six bags of poppy husk and other drugs from Khichri Sahib Complex, Balbera, where the Nihangs were living. Their property will also be attached on account of the recovery of commercial quantity of drugs.
SEVERED HAND OF POLICE OFFICER RE-IMPLANTED
After nearly eight hours of surgery, a team of doctors at the PGI on Sunday successfully re-implanted the left hand of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Punjab Police that was chopped off in a clash by Nihang Sikhs in Patiala.
The 50-year-old patient had an amputation through the proximal wrist of left hand, the PGI said in a statement.
The reimplantation was started around 10 a.m. after initial preparation of the amputated part. Both radial and ulnar arteries, the vena comitantes and an extra dorsal vein were anastomosed (reconnection of blood verssels). All the flexors and extensor tendons were repaired, the statement said.
All the nerves at the wrist required bony fixation done using three K-wires. The approximate time taken was about 7.5 hours. The PGI said this was technically very complex and challenging surgery, which was successfully done. It was evaluated at the end of surgery that hand is viable, warm with good circulation, it added.
After a phone call from Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta, PGI Director Jagat Ram activated the emergency team at Advanced Trauma centre and he gave the responsibility to Ramesh Sharma, Head Department of Plastic Surgery, for hand re-implantation.
The surgery team comprised Sunil Gaba, Jerry R. John, Suraj Nair, Mayank, Chandra, Shubendu, Ankur, Abhishek and Purnima, while the nursing team comprised Arvind, Sneha and Arsh.