Cops use water cannons on protesters, 6 injured

Tribune News Service
Mohali, July 22

High drama was witnessed on the Mohali-Chandigarh border behind the Punjab School Education Board premises at Phase 8 this afternoon when the police resorted to a mild lathicharge and used water cannons to stop around 200 members of Sikh religious bodies from entering Chandigarh.

Six protesters sustained injuries in the melee. The protest was staged to oppose the CBI’s closure report, filed recently, in the Bargari sacrilege case. One of the injured received a fracture in his arm as he fell on the road after being hit by water cannons. Those injured were Buta Singh from Barnala, Gurmail Singh from Amritsar, Avtar Singh from Moga, Harpal Singh from Ferozepur, Kultar Singh from Amritsar, Kartar Singh from Rama Mandi, Kultar Singh from Amritsar and Avtar Singh from Moga.

Sukhjit Singh Khosla, the leader of the group, alleged that the protest was staged as the CBI had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community by filing a closure report in the sensitive case.

Earlier, around 200 protesters, who turned up from various parts of the state, assembled at Gurdwara Amb Sahib around 11.30 am. They began a protest march from Mohali to the CBI office at Sector 30, Chandigarh. They were stopped by the Chandigarh Police on the Mohali-Chandigarh border on the road separating Phase 8 and 9.

“We resorted to a mild lathicharge and use water cannons when the protesters tried to jump over the barricades and started manhandling us,” said a senior police officer.

Later, the protesters staged a sit-in on the road. The dharna was lifted after their delegation was allowed to submit a memorandum at the Punjab CM’s residence in Chandigarh.