Youth bodies ‘ban’ SAD entry in Faridkot village

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 5

The arrest of 11 students for the alleged offence of damaging a private bus in the district has landed the local Akali leadership in a fix.

Two youth outfits — Punjab Students’ Union (PSU) and Naujawan Bharat Sabha (NBS) – today “banned” the entry of ruling party leaders in Deep Singh Wala village of Faridkot.

Accusing the police of implicating the students, including a girl, in a fake case at the instance of Akali leaders, PSU and NBS members have put up at big hoarding at the entry point of the village with a warning to Akali leaders not to enter the village.

The hoarding reads: “If you enter, we will gherao you for implicating innocent students in a fake case”.

On May 6, many students in Faridkot were arrested for the alleged offence of damaging a bus of an Akali transporter of Gidderbaha area.

The bus-damaging incident happened when many protesters, including members of PSU and NBS, were staging a demonstration in Faridkot to protest the death of a teenage girl who was allegedly molested and thrown off a bus in Moga on April 29.

In the past two months, members of the PSU and NBS, leaders and supporters of various farmer and mazdoor unions have staged many protests and dharnas in Faridkot, demanding the unconditional release of the arrested students.

On June 15, these protesters had organised a massive protest rally in Faridkot and the district observed a complete bandh in response to a bandh call given by the PSU and NBS.

Terming the installation of the hoarding banning the entry of Akalis in the village as an illegal act, Faridkot SSP Charanjit Singh said we don’t expect the students to behave in an irresponsible manner.

But the students have given a call for a district-wide bandh on July 15 and they are organising rallies to gather support for their cause.

As two of the arrested students — Gurpreet Singh and Naginder Singh — belong to Deep Singh Wala village, we have banned the entry of all Akali leaders in the village today. In the next week, the entry of Akali leaders will be banned in 25 villages after we get support from these villages, said Rajinder Singh, general secretary, PSU.

Punjab Cabinet Minister Sikander Singh Maluka had to face stiff opposition of PSU and NBS members three days ago when he visited Faridkot to participate in a programme.

The students said that besides the release of the arrested students, they are demanding the registration of a criminal case against the police officials who tortured the arrested students in the police lockup at the instance of the Akali transporter.