Jalandhar, August 23
Over 10 Sikh youths were injured here today as the police cane charged members of various Sikh organisations, who were protesting against the cutting of hair of a Sikh boy in Rajasthan by some unscrupulous elements.
Verbal duels and squirmishes also marked the protest, organised by various Sikh organisations, including, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Seva Society, the Youth Akali Dal, the Suchet Khalsa Dal and the Azad Sikh Students’ Federation.
As groups of Sikh youths tried to force shopkeepers to close down their business establishements, the police resorted to cane charge to disperse the mobs. The police was trying to avoid a confrontation between the Sikh youths and groups of shopkeepers, who put up resistance to the protesters’ effort.
Irked over the forced closure of shops, shopkeepers also allegedly burnt a motor cycle belonging to protesters in the Khingran Gate area of the city.
The protest began on a peaceful note, but the situation took a serious turn when some protesters started forcing shopkeepers to put down the shutters of their establishments. What added fuel to the fire was a verbal duel between an SP and a group of protesters. Following heated arguments a group of protesters squatted on the ground to lodge their protest against the role of the police. Another group of protesting youngsters organised a sit-in dharna at the BMC chowk, where, they were cane-charged by the police officials.
There was seemingly a lack of coordination among groups of protesters. While, traditional Sikh leaders preferred the peaceful route, groups of youngsters were agitated and gave vent
to
their feelings by resorting to aggressive actions, including, brandishing of swords in parts of the city. Mr Hardip Singh and Mr Bhupinder Singh, president and the press secretary of the Azaad Sikh Sikh Students’ Federation, respectively, alleged that they were picked up by some police officials from the BMC chowk after their group dispersed and were subjected to torture by the police.
Thereafter, they were allegedly “thrown out” of a police gypsy by cops near the Green’s Restaurant. Both of them, along with Mr Amandip Singh Bhatia and Mr Akashinder Singh were admitted to the local civil hospital. Eight other protesters also sustained minor injuries in the police lathi-charge in different parts of the city, including at the Pir Bodlan Bazaar, Panj Pir Chowk, Fullanwala Chowk and BMC Chowk. DSP Charanjit Singh, it was learnt, also sustained a minor injury during a scuffle with protesting youngsters.
A senior police official said the police was left with no alternative but to disperse the mob in apprehension of deterioration of law and order situation in the city. “Some elements among the protesters were out to create some serious disturbance of communal harmony, “ he claimed.
Amritsar: Activists of the Sikh Students Federation (Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu), the Sikh Students Federation (Bhindranwale) and Damdami Taksal in a joint protest stopped the buses for Rajasthan from coming out of the bus stand here today.
They were protesting against the failure of the Rajasthan Government in arresting the accused who cut hair of Inderpreet Singh who rescued a girl from eve-teasing in Jaipur yesterday. They said that it hurt the sentiments of Sikhs.
Activists of the Akaal Purkh Ki Fauj burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ms Vasundhra Raje, for her failure to protect the rights of the minority community.
Mr Surinder Kumar Billa, president, All-India Hindu Shiv Sena, condemned the Jaipur incident.
Batala: Resentment prevails among the Sikh community of Industrial Town here against the hair-cutting incident in Jaipur.
Mr Rajinder Singh, President, Gurdwara Dera Sahib Managing Committee and Gurdwara Satkartarian Managing Committee, here on Wednesday urged the Chief Minister, Rajasthan, Ms Vasundhra Raje Scindia, to take stern action against the guilty.
Hoshiarpur: Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President of SAD (A) has condemned the chopping of hair of a teenaged class XII student of Jaipur who had raised his voice against eve-teasing in his school by a group of youths. Mr Simranjit Singh Mann was addressing a congregation in a gurdwara at Bagpur village on Wednesday.
Phagwara: A complete bandh was witnessed in the town on Wednesday on a call given by members of the Sikh community and other political parties.
All shops, business establishments, including schools, were closed in response to a bandh call given mainly by the Shri Sukhmani Sewa Society, activists of the Shiv Sena and some political parties. Activists of various political parties were seen forcing the shopkeepers to down the shutters of their shops in the main markets.
The demonstrators reportedly ransacked a hardware shop on the G.T Road and tried to break apart the gate of a convent school who defied their bandh call. Fearing untoward incident, the school authorities in the city declared holiday.
