Police use water cannons to disperse protesting students

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, December 7

The police used water cannons and fired tear gas shells to disperse a gathering of about 200 members of the Punjab Students’ Union and the Naujawan Bharat Sabha when they were marching towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Saturday. The police also allegedly wielded lathis on the occasion.

Demanding justice for a woman doctor, who has accused a senior doctor in Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital of sexual harassment, the protesters have been sitting on a dharna in front of the mini-secretariat here for over a month.

On Saturday, the protesters were taking out a march towards the DC office. The police had installed barricades from stopping them to enter the DC office.

It is alleged that when the protestors tried to remove the barricades, a clash erupted between police personnel and the agitators. Thereafter, the police resorted to water cannons, tear gas shells and lathis.

Though the protesters claimed that 15 students got injured in police action and they were hospitalised, the police said breaking of the barricades and attempt to enter the DC office forcibly were serious offences, but they exercised resistance to push back the students with least force.

The police said water cannons and tear gas shells were used to disperse the agitators. However, they denied the allegations of resorting to lathicharge. Rajbir Singh, SHO, Faridkot police station, said a case under Section 332, 353, 186, 283, 148 and 149 of the IPC had been registered.

In her complaint, the woman doctor had alleged that since 2016 when she was selected for a postgraduate course in a college department, she was being harassed by her head of department (HoD).

“As I declined to succumb to various pressure tactics of the HoD during my three-year academic training period under his command, the latter continued to harass me even after I had completed my course in June, 2019,” alleged the complainant.