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Punjab Police attack Sikhs in Punjab

December 6th, 2009

Ludhiana, Punjab: The city continued to boil up for the second consecutive day following the killing of one elder Sikh (shown in left picture: Darshan Singh), who was protesting against the holding of a congregation by chief of the Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan Ashutosh.Cult leader Ashutosh continue to speak against the religious text of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib since 1980’s.

Darshan Singh, the victim, who resides at Lohara village, died on the spot. Twelve others sustained injuries when the police opened fire at the Cheema Chowk, where the activists of panthic organisations were leading a march towards PUDA grounds in Urban Estate where the religious discourses by Ashutosh Maharaj was being organised.

Following the incident, tension gripped the city. While there wasn’t any panic in the city yesterday, anxiety was writ large on the faces of residents today. District magistrate Vikas Garg ordered dera headed by Ashutosh to vacate the place at earliest. Heavy police was deployed outside the venue to protect it.

Witnesses attest that Honey Bedi was present at the protest site, and shot a firearm in the direction of the protesters. The organizations have requested that along with cult leader Aushutosh, Parkash Badal, Harish Bedi and his son should to be held responsible for the bloodshed in Ludhiana.

Meanwhile the Sikhs today imposed bandh in Ludhiana, industrial hub of Punjab. Sikhs have announced to observe complete Ludhiana Bandh tomorrow to protest against misdeeds of Punjab government in protecting and promoting anti-Sikhs sects and deras.

Ludhiana Burns Again

By Harpreet Bhagrath – December 6, 2009

Ludhiana, December 06 — The curfew-bound Ludhiana, the well known northern Indian industrial town in Punjab that was rocked by violence on Friday, witnessed more violence Saturday.

Curfew was imposed in the town on Sunday following the clashes between Sikh protesters and police. One person was killed and around 15 injured when police opened fire.

The police had to hurl tear smoke shells to suppress the Sikh protesters who were trying to interrupt the Satsang–the religious discourse–of a sectarian leader Ashutosh Maharaj of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan.

What led to the clashes
The district administration and police were not surprised by the developments as the momentum for the clashes had been building up for quite some time now. The anger, which had been simmering for months, spilled over on Friday.

The city had been seeing huge hoardings of self-styled Ashutosh Maharaj for almost a fortnight. The Sikh groups opposed the godman and the religious discourse scheduled for Sunday. Finally, amid allegations by protesters that Ashutosh Maharaj was making statements which went against Sikh religion and its gurus, protests and clashes broke out. The organizers then cancelled the religious discourse scheduled for Sunday.

The police lodged two FIRs against miscreants for creating disturbance and also for preventing the policemen in performing their duty. They were also charged with rioting and refusing to listen to their law and order requests.

Including the Delhi-Ludhiana national highway, the traffic was disrupted on various roads, and a number of vehicles, including those of the police, were damaged by the marching protesters.

Present curfew situation
The curfew, which was earlier relaxed in certain parts of the city in the morning, was again imposed in more areas by the afternoon. By evening, as more incidents of mob fury were reported, the curfew was imposed all over the city after incidents of mob fury were reported in areas like Sabzi Mandi and Field Ganj.

At the time of filing of the report, radical Sikh leaders along with a group of locals were sitting on a dharna near Samrala Chowk, demanding an FIR against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, MLA Harish Bedi and Ashutosh Maharaj.

Forces deployed, probe ordered
Now paramilitary forces and police have been deployed in the city, and people have been asked to stay indoors by the police.

The chief minister of the state has appealed the people to maintain peace, and cooperate with the government.

In order to maintain the law and order in the city, Rapid Action Force from Jalandhar was also called. A probe has been ordered into the death of a protester.

One dead, 15 injured in Ludhiana police firing

Ludhiana, December 06, 2009

One person died and 15 were injured when police opened fire and lobbed tear gas  shells on Sikh protesters who tried to disrupt the satsang (religious discourse) of a sect leader in Ludhiana on Saturday.

The police, however, claimed they had fired in the air.

The group was protesting  against Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan leader Ashutosh Maharaj.

This was the second day of violence in the city after migrant labourers, alleging police  inaction after a group of migrants was allegedly robbed, burned vehicles and stopped  road and rail traffic on Friday. The Bihar government has sent  a fact-finding team to Punjab  to look into the incident.

The administration has imposed curfew in 70 per cent of Ludhiana, crippling business in Punjab’s industrial hub.

The police stopped protesters at Samrala Chowk, about 1 km from the satsang venue  on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh Road. About 100,000 followers of Ashutosh Maharaj had reportedly gathered there.

The protesters accused Ashutosh Maharaj of making statements against their religion.

The police opened fire when a group of protesters, allegedly brandishing swords and firearms, broke off the cordon and pelted vehicles with stones.

A protester, Darshan Singh, died in firing at Samrala Chowk.

“The police used tear gas shells to stop protesters at barricades at Dholewal Chowk, but  since that didn’t work, the personnel opened fire in the air,” said SS Chauhan, DIG, Ludhiana Range.

Sansthan spokesman Swami Vishwanand said, “Some anti-national elements had disturbed  peace in the city.” The sansthan  denies making anti-Sikh statements.

Ludhiana tense after angry migrants riot

www.gulf-times.com

Friday4/12/2009

Curfew was imposed in parts of Ludhiana yesterday after hundreds of migrants went on the rampage in the morning, burning vehicles and blocking a national highway and railway tracks. The migrants were protesting the police inaction against a gang of bikers who had been looting them for the past few months.

Tension continued to prevail in the affected areas, where most of the migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh live and work, till yesterday evening.

Punjab director general of police (DGP) P S Gill, however, claimed that road and railway traffic in the affected area had been restored and that the authorities were in full control of the situation.

“We rushed senior officers to the spot. Police reinforcements were brought in from neighbouring districts to control the situation. We have sought two battalions of central forces from the union government,” Gill said in Chandigarh, 110km from here.
Curfew was imposed in five areas of Ludhiana – division no. 6 and 7, Simlapuri, Focal point and Sahnewal – following the violence.

Hundreds of migrants started the protest on NH-1 yesterday morning following another incident of looting on Thursday night.

Some migrants had gone to the area police station to get a case registered but the police reportedly did not take action. This angered the migrants. The mob of angry migrants then set ablaze several vehicles, including two buses, trucks, cars and scooters, near the industrial focal point area of Punjab’s biggest city.

Eyewitnesses said at least 25 vehicles were set on fire. The first lot of vehicles, including trucks, were set ablaze late Thursday night. Gill said that 23 vehicles, including nine of Punjab police, were set on fire by the mob. He said that a total of 15 people, all of them policemen, were injured in violence that lasted over three hours yesterday morning.

The Ludhiana-Delhi National Highway No 1 (NH-1) stretch between Sherpur area here and Sahnewal town was blocked due to the violence. The busy stretch of the highway saw huge traffic jams on both sides. Police and district authorities tried to divert traffic through other smaller roads which soon got choked.

Railway traffic was also affected as nearly six trains were held up at various stations due to violence and rail blockades by the mob in Ludhiana.

Curfew in Ludhiana after day of violence and arson

Saturday, Dec 05, 2009

Special Correspondent

LUDHIANA / CHANDIGARH: Curfew was imposed in areas under five police stations in Punjab’s industrial capital, Ludhiana, on Friday when protesting migrant labourers resorted to stone-throwing and arson at some places along Grand Trunk Road, resulting in violent reactions from groups of local youths.

Punjab Police Chief P. S. Gill told reporters that while no death was reported, as many as 15 police officers and personnel had to be admitted to hospital with major injuries. Preferring not to disclose the injuries on the civilian side, he claimed that reinforcements had been sent from neighbouring districts and the situation was under control now. Trouble broke out when a large number of migrants, mostly engaged as labour in various industrial units here, gathered to protest against alleged inaction by the police in acting against gangs of motorcycle riders who rob them of their earnings during the first week of every month.

The agitators blocked traffic along Grand Trunk Road as well as movement of trains to and from Ludhiana. The mob purportedly turned violent when an ill-equipped and vastly outnumbered police force tried to disperse the protestors, who after initial stone-throwing turned their anger on vehicles and trains. They damaged and set afire some trucks, buses and cars. According to eyewitnesses, some passengers and police personnel sustained injuries.

The attacks on private vehicles evoked a strong reaction from the local population when groups of local youths armed with swords, axes, rods and other sharp-edged weapons took on the migrant groups.

A riot-like situation prevailed, forcing the police to fire some rounds in the air.

Curfew was imposed along the 15-km stretch from Sahnewal to Samrala Chowk, including areas under five major police stations including Division No. 6 and 7, Simlapuri, Focal Point and Sahnewal.

Life was normal in other parts of the city though traffic to and from the city was disrupted.

Informations

Ludhiana also Ludhyana (Punjabi: ਲੁਧਿਆਣਾ | Hindi: लुधियाना) is a city and a municipal corporation in Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is the largest city in Punjab, with an estimated population of 45 lacs. The population increases substantially during the crop harvesting season due to immigration of laborers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. It has an area of about 310 km². The city stands on the Sutlej River’s old bank, 13 km south of its present course. It is a major industrial center of northern India.

~ par Alain Bertho sur 6 décembre 2009.

Publié dans दंगा, émeutes, Interventions, riots