Asked to show passes, Nihangs chop off ASI’s hand in Sanaur
Tribune News Service
Sanaur (Patiala), April 12
An ASI’s hand was chopped off and four other policemen were injured today when a group of Nihangs attacked them on being asked to show curfew passes. The incident occurred at a vegetable market in Sanaur in Patiala district.
CM condemns attack
Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab CM, condemned the attack and warned that anyone violating the curfew would be strictly dealt with. “The police personnel are risking their lives to save the people of Punjab and any attack on them won’t be tolerated, he warned.
Eleven persons, including five attackers, were arrested hours later after an exchange of fire at a gurdwara where the attackers fled. One of the arrested men suffered a gunshot wound, the police said. A “mandi” official was also hurt. A video clip of the incident went viral on the social media. ASI Harjeet Singh, whose hand was severed with a sword, was rushed to Rajindra Hospital and then referred to the PGIMER in Chandigarh, where the wrist was reattached after an eight-hour surgery.
The attack on policemen needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms. Such criminals & anarchists should be brought to justice at the earliest. They deserve exemplary punishment.— Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister
With a lockdown in place to contain the spread of Covid-19, barricades had been put up outside the wholesale market and entry restricted to those with curfew passes. The Nihangs arrived in an SUV and were signalled to stop by “mandi” officials, the police said. “They were asked to show passes. But they rammed the vehicle against the gate and the barricades,” Patiala SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu said.
The group then attacked police personnel and fled to the Nihang Dera Complex in Balbera village which houses Gurdwara Khichri Sahib. Once inside, the five accused Nihangs along with six others threatened to blow up the premises with petrol bombs and gas cylinders.
The operation followed after hours of stand-off and many rounds of appeal by the police to the Nihangs to surrender, but they refused to do so, Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said, adding dera head Balwinder Singh was the main perpetrator.
The police persuaded the sarpanch and some villagers to speak to the Nihangs to surrender, but to no avail.
A police team led by Patiala IG Jatinder Aulakh and SSP Sidhu along with a team of the Special Operations Group, led by ADGP Rakesh Chandra, then entered the premises to flush out the attackers. A few shots were fired by the accused before they were nabbed after a brief combat. SSP Sidhu was injured. “While carrying out the operation, it was ensured that the maryada of the gurdwara was not affected,” said the DGP.
A huge cache of weapons, including kirpans, two petrol bombs, LPG cylinders, five bags of poppy husk and other drugs and Rs 39 lakh in cash, were seized from the complex.
The three other injured cops included Inspector Bikkar Singh, ASI Raj Singh and ASI Raghbir Singh. Mandi Board official AR Yadwinder Singh was also hurt.
Two cases have been filed against the accused — the first over the Sabzi Mandi incident for attempt to murder, rioting and attack on public servant under the IPC and the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the second against 11 persons, including a woman, under the Disaster Management Act, Explosives Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act.
Those arrested include Bant Singh Kala, Jagmeet Singh, Balwinder Singh (Nihang head), Gurdeep Singh, Nanna, Jangir Singh, Maninder Singh, Jaswant Singh, Darshan Singh, Nirbhav Singh and Sukhpreet Kaur.
(Inputs from PTI)
