M A I N   N E W S

Truckers block traffic, lathicharged
Tribune News Service

Ropar, July 21
Over 150 truck operators, women and 12 police personnel, including two senior police officials, were injured today when the Ropar and Nawanshar police jointly resorted to a lathicharge to disperse hundreds of truck operators from Punjab and their family members who had blocked traffic on the Ropar-Nawanshar border near Gurdwara Tiba Sahib.

In retaliation, the truck operators threw stones on police personnel at about 4.15 pm. Several trucks parked on the road, police buses and a gypsy were damaged.

Those who sustained injuries included the chairman of a Punjab truck operators’ body, Mr Charan Singh Lohara, the SP, Ropar, Mr Mandir Singh Sandhu, and the DSP, Mr Didar Singh.

Mr Lohara, along with 19 truck operators, was later arrested by the Nawanshar police in a case of attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly and damaging public property. Besides, a large number of truck operators were also taken in custody as a preventive measure.

The situation worsened about 3 pm when the truck operators blocked traffic, demanding the release of over a 100 truck operators, including president of the Truck Operators Union Tarlochan Singh, who was arrested by the police yesterday when they threaten to stage a dharna outside the Gujarat Ambuja Cement plant.

The truck operators were demanding that the Ambuja Cement plant provide them more work to lift cement and bar use of truck operators from other states.

They were also demanding the release of Magar Singh, president of one of the factions of the truck operators, alleging that he had been arrested by the police in a false case of cheating and forgery.

The police initially used water cannons to disperse the truck operators, but when they began hurling stones, over 400 police personnel charged towards them with batons.

It took more than two hours for the police to control the situation.

The SSP, Ropar, Mr Kapil Dev, said the police resorted to a lathicharge when the truck operators threatened to enter the district court premises and blocked traffic.

The SSP, Nawanshahr, Mr Surinder Pal Singh, said the police had arrested 20 truck operators, including Mr Lohara, under Sections 307, 506, 148, 149 and 353 of the IPC.