A day after a Shiv Sena leader was shot at, Gurdaspur remained calm but tense. Various organisations had given a bandh call on Monday to protest firing on State general secretary of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) Harvinder Soni. To curb any kind of violence and check any untoward incident, the police had made proper arrangements. The Shiv Sena activists staged protests and raised slogans against Khalistan and Punjab Government. They held a protest march and peacefully closed the open shops in the town.
“Not a single incident of violence has been reported during this shutdown. Gurdaspur Police force was put on high alert. Four companies were deployed in the district to maintain peace and law in the city,” said Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor. Khalistani activist Kashmir Singh shot a bullet with country made .315 bore pistol at Soni, who was on his morning walk near the Fish Park close to Deputy Commissioner’s residence.
Soni was rushed to the Civil Hospital where he was referred to Escorts Hospital, Amritsar. His condition is stable. Toor said that the police has also arrested two more people in the matter. “During interrogation, Kashmir Singh said the person who helped him was Inderpal Singh, a resident of city’s Prem Nagar. He was arrested on Sunday by Patiala Police and has been bought back here. Another person, Gurjeet Singh alias Babbu of Sekha Wadala Granthiya, has also been arrested by the Police,” he said.
SSP said that Kashmir Singh bought the pistol, used in the crime, with the help of one Anuragh alias lala. “Khanna Police has already nabbed Anuragh and produced him in the court,” he said. The activists and workers of Shiv Sena also staged protests at some places in Punjab to protest the attack on its leader, and demanded adequate security for its leaders.
Shouting anti-Government and anti-Khalistan slogans, the protesters first held a rally inside Hanumangarhi temple in Phagwara and then started their march from there, converging at Sugar mill crossing on National Highway 1. Slogans in favour of Hindu-Sikh unity were also raised by protesters who condemned "Khalistani forces" and terrorists. The protesters demanded proper security to prevent recurrence of any Gurdaspur-like incident in state.
They also demanded punishment for Soni's assailants as well as adequate security for Hindu leaders facing threat. later, they presented a memorandum to Kapurthala SSP Ashish Chowdhary at the site of demonstration on NH1. In view of the attack, Chowdhary said that security of Hindu leaders was being reviewed afresh in Kapurthala district, particularly Phagwara. “Some Hindu leaders already have adequate security, some more were given security after Sunday's incident while some others will be provided the required security keeping in view the threat perception,” he said.
He, however, did not divulge the names of those leaders who had been provided or were being provided security after Sunday's incident. “Nobody will be allowed to vitiate peace or create any communal tension,” SSP said. In Phagwara town, activists of some Hindu outfits, including Shiv Sena, held a protest march against the attack.
Heavy police force, led by Phagwara SP Rajeshwar Singh Sidhu, was deployed in Phagwara in view of protest by leaders of various Hindu bodies. SSP Rakesh Kaushal said adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure law and order. However, no restrictions have been imposed in any part of the town on people's movement, he said.