Chandigarh, February 26
Water cannon failed to dampen the spirits as Punjab’s former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, 34 MLAs and party supporters raised slogans against the “murder of democracy” during the Ajnala byelection before being taken into custody by the Chandigarh police.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, was among the protesters arrested just 1 km short of Punjab Raj Bhavan for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC. In all, 70 protesters, with black ribbons tied to the arm, were taken into custody. They were released around 3.45 pm by a Subdivisional Magistrate.

It all started at about 12.45 pm. After addressing a press conference at Kalgidhar Nivas in Sector 27, Mr Badal and his supporters reached the road dividing Sectors 7 and 8 for meeting the Punjab Governor.

In an effort to thwart their attempts, Chandigarh police personnel parked at least two trucks across the road before tying a rope from one end to the other. As the protesters pushed aside the cops for breaking the cordon, the men in khaki summoned water cannon to disperse the crowd. Turbans fell off as water jets targeted the protesters.

A party spokesman said the “turbans of Mr Badal and Capt Kanwaljit Singh fell off after being hit by the water cannon”. He added that Mr Badal and several other Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, including Bibi Jagir Kaur, suffered minor injuries in the operation.