10 hurt in Sriganganagar clash
Situation was tense in Kesrisinghpur, bordering Pakistan in Sriganganagar, after the Friday night clash between suspected drug traffickers and activists of Nasha Mukti Sangharsh Samiti. Nearly a dozen people from both sides were injured in the clash. There had been at least three incidents of drug smuggling from across the International Border this year in the area. Some Fazilka youths were also suspected to be involved in the trafficking.
The ‘Samiti’ said about 10 youth have died due to drug addiction in the last three to four months. The NGO supporters had started laying blockade around the ‘Dhakka Basti’ throughout the day for about three weeks. Due to the blockade, drug sellers had been facing difficulty in carrying out their sales. The members of the ‘Samiti’ had also prevented drug addicts from going to the colony.
A clash broke out on Friday night between suspected drug traffickers and those opposing the sale of drugs. The police reached the spot and pacified both factions. The injured were brought to the government hospital in Kesrisinghpur; out of them, half a dozen, including a woman, were given first aid by the doctors and referred to Sriganganagar hospitals.
Sources said Ravi Sahota, alias Ravi Baba, an official of the ‘Samiti’, was stopped Friday night allegedly by Kishan Khan, a suspected drug seller, and his accomplices who assaulted him. Sahota somehow escaped from there.
When the ‘Samiti’ members came to know about the alleged assault on Sahota, they gathered in large numbers. About 100 men and women reached Kishan Khan’s house in Vikas Colony with sticks and other weapons. Kishan Khan was talking to his neighbours outside the house when the crowd attacked him. In defence, Kishan Khan and his accomplices pelted stones. There was a fierce fight between both sides. The fight continued for about half an hour before the police reached the spot to pacify the situation.
The police said Kishan Khan (35), his wife Suman (50), son Soni (30), Ajay alias Rinku (40), Bunty (25) and Kishan’s neighbour Lal Chand (55) were undergoing treatment at Sriganganagar. They said three of the other factions were admitted to the government hospital at Kesrisinghpur, and three have already been discharged. Police officials said their statements were recorded and a case has been registered. They said they were working on the case with caution to diffuse the tension on priority.
