The protest by Kisan & Khet Mazdoor Cell, the farmer wing of Punjab Congress took an ugly turn on Wednesday after the Chandigarh Police indulged in an unprovoked and unwarranted lathi charge, leaving at least two protesters injured.
The protesters were chased down by the police before being beaten up. It all happened soon after the top leadership of the Congress party present at the protest courted arrest. Having braved the water cannon for around five minutes, an aged protester, allegedly stuck by the baton of a cop, fell on the ground.
In the absence of any arrangement for first aid or ambulance on the spot, the injured aged protester, Hardeep Singh, kept lying on the road in semi-conscious position for 15 minutes, prompting another protester to raise demand for action against the erring cop.
As one of the protester, tried to point a finger on the Officer In-charge and SHO Narinder Patial for the assault on the aged protesters, the officer taking a baton in his hands started beating the protester and within seconds the entire police team started hitting the protesters ruthlessly.
As the protesters had scattered after the police charged against them, the police party led by Patial entered the Punjab Congress Headquarter and chased the protesters. Some of the Congressmen and even Journalists were beaten up inside the Congress Headquarter. The evidence of the manhandling of people inside the Punjab Congress Bhawan was quite evident with the blood stains on the floor of the building at many places.
Earlier to the action by Chandigarh Police, the farmers led by Inderjit Singh Zira burnt the effigy of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for its failure to make payment of Wheat procured from farmers on the 10-15 dividing road.
The protesters raised anti-Badal slogans and held him responsible for rising number of suicides by farmers in the state. Zira said that farmers were under heavy debt due to wrong policies of SAD-BJP government. He said that Badal family was promoting its business interests at the cost of economy of state. He demanded immediate payment of Wheat crop to the farmers.
As the Congress workers marched from the Punjab Congress Bhawan to gherao Punjab Chief Minister's residence, the protesters were successfully scattered by the police using minimal force and water cannon. Senior leaders leading the protest Charanjeet Singh Channi, leader of opposition in Vidhan Sabha and Inderjeet Singh Jeera, President of Kissan & Khet Mazdoor Cell with some others were arrested by the police and were taken to an unknown place.
But later on, in an apparent attempt to establish the muscle power of the police, the police team resorted to unwarranted use of force against the already scattered protesters and left some of them injured.
Cong lodges complaint against the SHO
Taking strong exception to the police action of entering Punjab Congress Headquarter and manhandling Congress workers inside the building, Capt. Sandeep Sandhu, Incharge of Punjab Congress Bhawan has demanded registration of criminal case against Inspector Narinder Patiyal, SHO Police Station Sector -11, Chandigarh and all the other police personnel accompanying him for allegedly committing the offences of criminal trespass, assault, wrongful restraint, beating, criminal intimidation and illegal search of the premises.
In a complaint sent to the Governor of Punjab, Parimal Rai Advisor to Administrator, Anurag Aggarwal Home Secretary UT Chandigarh, T.S.luthra, IGP, Sukhchain Singh, SSP Chandigarh, Capt. Sandhu said that Police party wearing riot gear & fully armed with weapons, headed by Narinder Patiyal entered into the Congress Bhawan without any rhyme or reason and started beating and abusing the persons and staff and Journalists who came inside the Congress Bhawan after the protest had ended.
“The SHO illegally trespassed in the premises and started searching the rooms of the Punjab Congress Bhawan without any warrant. Congress workers in the Congress bhawan were terrorised and beaten by the SHO and the Police party," the complaint said. Two Journalists Kuldeep Singh Jaffalpur and Jai Singh Chibber were beaten up by the SHO in the Congress Bhawan premises, the letter said.
Congress has demanded immediate suspension of the SHO and departmental proceedings and strict disciplinary action against the other Police Officials involved in the incident.
Channi slams lathicharge on Cong workers
Charanjit Singh Channi, leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha condemned the brutal lathi charge by the Chandigarh police. In a statement, he said that he was also a part of the protesters but suddenly the Chandigarh police started lathi charge and used water cannons on peaceful sitting farmers, who had gathered here to gherao the Chief Minister residence. Many farmers were injured and few were also taken to sector 16 Government hospital. “The police in no ways are seen manhandling the protestors like this. The protestors were abused by the force and made to run to save their lives,” he added.
Channi also condemned the inhuman attitude of the Chandigarh police towards the journalists who were covering the protest.