M A I N   N E W S

18 hurt in Malout firing, lathi charge
Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Malout, July 31
Mr Charanjit Singh Channi, head of the Khalsa Panchayat, and two others received bullet injuries and more than 15 activists of the Dal Khalsa, the All-India Sikh Students Federation (Mehta), the Khalsa Mission Committee, the Khalsa Panchayat, the United Sikh Organisation and the Khalra Dharam Parchar Committee were injured when the police allegedly opened fire and resorted to lathi charge while they were holding a peaceful demonstration in protest against the alleged attack by Maharaja Ashutosh, head of the Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan of Nurmehal sect during a satsang held at Dabwali Malko Ki village today.

The situation in the village and near Gurdwara Kalgidhar was tense but under control. There was a heavy police deployment. The movement of people on the road from the gurdwara to the dera of the Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan was also restricted.

Mr Channi and the two others — Gurmeet Singh and Swaran Singh — who received bullet injuries, have been shifted to hospitals. Mr Channi, who received three injuries, has been shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana.

Mr Sarbjit Singh Ghuman, office secretary of the Dal Khalsa, who was among those who led the demonstration of about 700 activists of different Sikh organisations alleged that the district police chief ordered the police to open fire and resort to lathi charge without any provocation for the same. He added that the police also lobbed teargas shells on the premises of Gurdwara Kalgidhar, and at Danewala village where they had assembled before proceeding to Dabwali Malko Ki.

He alleged that about 70 activists were missing after the lathi charge and the firing incident. He added that policemen chased the activists, who ran helter-skelter to save themselves, and beat them up mercilessly. Vehicles of the activists were also damaged.

The incident took place near the bridge of a distributary near Chappianwali village. The police took a number of activists, including the granthi of Gurdwara Kalgidhar, into custody last night. He alleged that the state government has helping those who had been attacking Sikhism and gurbani.

Mr K.J.S. Pannu, district police chief, while denying the allegations, said Mr Channi and nine others, including Rajinder Singh, stopped the vehicle of followers of Maharaja Ashutosh while they were coming to Malout city for making purchases and attacked one of the disciples, identified as Satish Kumar, with swords. The police first resorted to lathi charge to save him and later on lobbed teargas shells to disperse the gathering of activists, which had by then turned into a violent mob.

He added that a case under Section 307 of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act had been registered against Mr Channi, Rajinder Singh and eight others on the statement of Satish Kumar, who was under treatment at the local Civil Hospital. He denied that the police had opened fire. He said he did not issue any order to open fire. Eleven activists of various Sikh organisations had been rounded up, he added.

Swami Arwind, talking to mediapersons on behalf of Maharaja Ashutosh, said Maharaja Ashutosh, who hailed from Bihar, had been preaching universal brotherhood for the past 20 years, and those who opposed him were playing into the hands of anti-national forces. He pointed out that a few Sikh organisations had started opposing Maharaja Ashutosh since the past two years. He added that Maharaja Ashutosh had clarified his position regarding Sikhism and Sikh gurus.

Meanwhile, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and Member of Parliament, has alleged that the Congress government had resorted to barbaric acts to disturb the atmosphere in the state. He demanded that Congress chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, should visit the spot where firing took place as she had done in the case of Gujarat violence. He demanded that a sitting judge of the high court should probe the incident and police officials, who opened fire, should be booked and placed under suspension.

Mr Rajinder Singh Mehta, a former president of the AISSF (Mehta) and adviser to the SAD, alleged that the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had initiated an era of repression, atrocities and terror in the state, and was promoting anti-Sikh forces.