A Bill against destruction of public properties has received damaging response from the Opposition. A day after the Punjab Cabinet gave its nod to the Punjab (Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property) Bill, the rival parties have opposed the law. Dubbing it as “draconian and anti-protest legislation”, they claimed that it was an attempt to “scuttle freedom to hold peaceful protests”.
Punjab Government, in its Tuesday Cabinet meeting, brought back its controversial Bill with little amendments. Earlier also, when the Bill was proposed in 2010, it was to be withdrawn after large scale protests. Strongly opposing the legislation, State Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa said that it barred people’s protests, demonstrations and rallies without permission from the state government which was a direct attack on the fundamental rights of the people and against all democratic norms.
“The Bill provides for punishment including fine against violations. Moreover, offences under this legislation would be non-bailable,” he pointed.
lambasting the Badal Government for bringing up this “black law” again, he said that it was reminiscent of the days of slavery during British era. Bajwa warned the Badal government against going ahead with this legislation in the forthcoming budget session of the Assembly saying that the Congress would oppose it at every level and would not allow people’s democratic rights to be curbed by this unpopular government against whom the people were filled up with anger.
The CPI (M) also condemned the Cabinet decision to “re-impose restrictions to scuttle freedom to hold peaceful protest actions”.
“Through this draconian legislation, Akali-BJP rulers want to provide punishment and fine for holding protest march or demonstration without obtaining prior permission. And all violations of this legislation will be made non-bailable and cognizable offence by a police constable,” pointed Punjab unit of CPI (M) secretary Comrade Charan Singh Virdi.
Justifying the state government's move, a senior government official maintained that the changes would "not only act as a deterrent for miscreants to participate in such agitations and demonstrations and cause damage to public and private property, but also help to recover damages from them".This Bill was passed by the state cabinet earlier on October 12, 2010, but was to be withdrawn in the state assembly on October 9, 2011, following strong public protests while it was still at the stage of ratification by the President.
Making little modifications in the new Bill, the government justified its decision to bring in the law citing several demonstrations and agitations in the recent past when public and private property had been damaged.
As per the amendment, it has been decided to include “blockade of rail or road traffic” in Part 2 (C) of the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Bill-2014 defining “damaging act”. With this, the Bill provides for punishment of up to a year and a fine of Rs one lakh to those who damage public or private property during an agitation, strike, bandh or blockade.
It added that in case the damage is caused by explosives, the punishment will be up to two years and the guilty will be fined Rs one lakh.