M A I N   N E W S

2 killed near Panipat
Manish Sirhindi
Tribune News Service

Probe ordered CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of two persons of Haryana during the Gujjar demonstration near Pattikalyana village of Panipat district. The commissioner, Rohtak division, will conduct the inquiry. In a condolence message issued here, Hooda has expressed grief over the death of these two persons. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased.

Pattikalyana (Panipat), May 29
A 1.5 km stretch on the National Highway No. 1 here today was virtually turned into a “combat zone” as the police and scores of Gujjars continued to attack each other repeatedly for over six hours. It ended in the death of two agitators. The situation in over 64 Gujjar-dominated villages in this region remained tense and the CRPF was deployed in the evening to maintain law and order.

The trouble started when the Gujjars, in order to express solidarity with the agitating community members in Rajasthan, blocked the NH-1 at around 10 am. Even as the police was asking the protesters to lift the blockade, a Haryana Roadways bus of Chandigarh depot, en route to Delhi, was set on fire. The passengers had a narrow escape.

Alarmed, the police restored to a lathicharge which failed to subdue the agitators and they continued to throw stones at the police causing severe injuries to two inspectors and hurting nine other policemen. The police then restored to firing, in which one protester was killed. He sustained a bullet injury in his chest that proved fatal for him. Provoked by the death, the Gujjar community retaliated in full force and made the police run for cover as they resumed throwing stones.

They brought the body of the deceased, identified as Kuldeep (25), son of Sita Ram and resident of Pattikalyana village, and placed it on the NH-1. They made the police run for over half a km, after which the police reacted with force. The stampede that followed killed another 75-year-old person who was identified as Papan, son of Balwan Singh of the same village. The villagers alleged that he had been killed by a stone that was thrown by the police.

The police even shattered windowpanes of cars that were parked on the premises of the government school of the village where the Gujjars had held a meeting in the morning before launching their agitation. During this, a press photographer of a vernacular daily was also thrashed by the police when he captured them on camera breaking car glasses.

The administration tried to initiate talks with the protesters, but failed to pacify them.

Even as the situation remained tense, the police finally managed to restore vehicular traffic on the NH-1 after about six hours of the blockade. IG, Rohtak range, Anil Dawra, who reached the spot, said the situation was now under control.

Deputy commissioner Mohinder Kumar and SP M.S. Sheoran, who continued to camp the village even till late evening, said the use of force was the last resort.

Meanwhile, the police has registered a case against a number of unidentified persons for rioting and damaging public property and attacking police personnel. The police reportedly rounded up Anju Chhokar, state secretary of the HPCC, and some Gujjar leaders also.

Meanwhile, the police maintained that the bandh call by the Gujjars had little impact as commercial and other activities were normal in the state. However, traffic was blocked by the Gujjar community at various places in the state.

The police maintained that the blockade was handled tactfully despite grave provocation by the agitators and no untoward incident occurred anywhere except in Pattikalyana village.

After exhausting all means of persuasion, tear gas, lathicharge, water canons and plastic bullets, the police had to resort to firing, resulting in the two casualties.