DC orders probe into Nawanshahr lathicharge

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 27

Following a lathicharge on SC students at Nawanshahr yesterday, the district administration has started the damage-control exercise to prevent backlash from the angry students. Administration officials have been visiting various colleges to refund fee to the SC students.

Twelve students were injured when the police resorted to lathicharge while they were holding a protest demanding benefits under the Centre’s Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ravinder Singh said he had ordered a magisterial probe and asked Nawanshahr SDM Jeevan Jagjot Kaur to submit the report on March 31. Action would be recommended against the guilty after receiving the report, he said.

“The SDM and Tehsildar have been sent to colleges. The Doaba college authorities have delivered 56 cheques (52 worth Rs 2,000 each and four worth Rs 16,000 to Rs 18,000 each) to the SC students. The process to refund fee to the SC students of the KC Group of Institutions and the Rayat Institute of Engineering and Information Technology is also on,” the DC said.

He said the students had been told to reach the SDM office tomorrow morning to record their statements. He also appointed ADC Apneet Ryat as the nodal officer to deal with issues pertaining to the scholarship scheme.

Punjab Students Union president Baljit Singh said the administration had been helping SC students to get their fee refunded, which the colleges had collected from them mischievously.