Haryana Deputy Speaker’s car targeted in Sirsa

Tribune News Service

Sirsa/Panipat/Jhajjar, July 11

Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa’s car was targeted in Sirsa district on Sunday as farmers held protests at various places in the state, targeting events of BJP leaders.

The police said the rear windscreen of the SUV broke as stones were pelted, but no one was hurt.

In Panipat, the activists burnt the party flags outside Arya College where BJP leaders — Education Minister Kanwar Pal Gurjar; state incharge Vinod Tawde, organisational secretary Ravinder Raju, Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia, MLAs Mahipal Dhanda, Pramod Vij, Mayor Avneet Kaur and district president Archna Gupta — were holding a meeting of the BJP district unit.

Heavy police force was deployed at the venue to avert any law and order situation. Meanwhile, BKU (Charuni) activists gathered at the college gate and started raising slogans against the BJP-led central and state governments. The protesters tried entering the venue but were stopped. Enraged, they burnt the BJP flags and staged a dharna.

DSP City Virender Saini tried to convince the protesters to vacate the venue but to no avail. Soon after, the police forcibly picked up the protesters and took them to the Chandnibagh police station. “We took the protesters into preventive custody and all of them were released after half an hour. No case has been registered against them so far.”

In Jhajjar, the meeting was held at Samvaad Bhawan on the Mini-Secretariat campus amid tight security on Sunday.

The farmers protested outside the venue when the police did not let them enter the building. The cops succeeded in sending the protesters back after three hours.

After attending the morning session of the meet, Rohtak MP Arvind Sharma said, “Their (protesters’) job is to oppose the government and BJP leaders without any valid reason, while our work is to ensure the welfare of every section of society and carry out development works. We are doing our job and do not care about such politically motivated resistance.”

Agriculture Minister JP Dalal, who addressed the evening session, said those opposing them were not farmers. “They are the workers of the Congress and Left parties who intend to fulfil their interest of grabbing power by placing a gun on the shoulders of farmers. Some leaders wish to contest the polls hence they are spreading lies against the farm laws,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, a similar situation prevailed at another meeting venue of the BJP district unit near Nandlal Geeta Vidya Mandir School on the Ambala-Saha road in Tepla village.

Ambala Cantt DSP Ram Kumar said: “A case is being registered at the Saha police station against 15-20 identified and hundreds of other unknown protesters under relevant sections of the IPC, unlawful assembly and damaging public property.”

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