Sangrur, May 18
At least 30 lawyers were today injured when the police lathicharged agitating lawyers near the District Judicial Complex here. Seven policemen, including DSP Surjit Singh Grewal, received minor injuries.
The police lathicharged the lawyers when they were on their way to lay the foundation stone for the construction of chambers at the newly built judicial complex here as per the programme announced by the Sangrur District Bar Association earlier.
Members of the District Bar Association here have been agitating since April 9 against the non-availability of chambers in the new judicial complex.
During the scuffle, the shirt of Mr Balraj Singh Sohi, president of the District Bar Association, was torn. The turban of DSP Surjit Singh Grewal also fell off.
Dr Indu Malhotra, SDM, Sangrur, after the lathi charge announced on the public address system that the assembly had been declared unlawful and the agitating lawyers be arrested. At this, the lawyers in large numbers walked towards the local police station to get themselves arrested. The administration had not made any arrangements for carrying them in vehicles.
The SDM said the lawyers had been arrested for disobeying the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the case.
Interestingly, the police did not arrest the lawyers, despite the orders of the SDM and the lawyers’ offer to court arrest. The lawyers, in fact, lodged a protest in front of the police station on the issue.
Mr Balraj Singh Sohi, president of the association, said it seemed either the orders of the SDM were “false” or the police did not honour the order of the SDM.
The lawyers sat in dharna in front of the police station. They raised slogans against the Punjab Government, the Punjab Police, the judiciary and the local minister. Several shopkeepers closed their shops in solidarity with the lawyers.
As many as 15 injured lawyers got treatment at the local Civil Hospital for minor and grievous injuries. Some lawyers also suffered fractures. Among the injured were Mr Pavittar Singh Grewal, Mr D.P. Puri, Mr Ashi Goyal, Mr Devendra Sharda, Mr Harish Goyal, Mr Paramjit
Singh, Mr Dharam Pal Garg, Mr Harkewal Singh Sajuma, Mr Gurwinder Singh, Mr Sarjiwan Jain, Mr Kiranjit Singh Sekhon, Mr Kultar Singh, Mr Harjit Singh Jeji and Mr Jatinder Singh Gill.
Constable Lal Singh, Harwinder Singh and Kulwant Singh were among the injured policemen.
Mr Balraj Singh Sohi announced the next course of agitation at the dharna in front of the police station. He gave a call to the local shopkeepers to observe a bandh tomorrow in protest against the lathi charge. He asked the bar associations in the state to observe ‘no work’ on May 21. He said a meeting of presidents and secretaries of the bar associations of the state would be held here on March 24 to chalk out the further course of action.
Mr Sohi also announced that no lawyer of the local Bar Association would appear in court on behalf of any policeman. He demanded the suspension of SDM Indu Malhotra.
Dr Surinder Singla, secretary of the PCMSA, and Mr Swaranjit Singh, state secretary of the Democratic Employees Front, have condemned the police lathi charge on the lawyers and urged the Punjab Chief Minister to intervene.
Earlier, the lawyers gathered at the main bus stand here this morning and in a procession proceeded towards the judicial complex amid sloganeering. They also held a ‘siapa’ of the Badal government. To prevent the lawyers from laying the foundation stone, the police and civil administration had made elaborate arrangements. Barricades were erected around the proposed site. Article 144 of the CrPC was strictly enforced in the area around the judicial complex.
