Crackdown on protesters boomerangs on police

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 13

The situation continued to remain tense as the number of protesters kept swelling in Bargari village of Faridkot district today. They occupied all major roads in the area, blocking the traffic.

They were protesting against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib yesterday.

The police crackdown on the protesters to end the dharna on an intersection in Kotkapura town in wee hours today boomeranged as the number of protestors continued to swell today.

To stop the dharna on an intersection in Kotkapura town, a large contingent of the police swooped down on about 300 protesters at around 3 am today and took them into preventive custody.

The police took these protestors in small groups to various police stations of Faridkot, Moga, Muktsar and Ferozepur districts in the morning.

But the police were forced to release them around 9.30am today when a large number of Sikh protesters from the rural area started assembling in Kotkapura, Faridkot, Bajakhana, Bargari and some small towns of Moga district.

In the afternoon, the protesters pitched a tent on the intersection, in the centre of Kotkapura. Villagers prepared langar for the protesters.

Police sources revealed that the reason for the police crackdown on the protesters and later releasing them stemmed from some rumours.

The police got the information yesterday evening that the protesters were planning to start “Akhand Paath” at the dharna site this morning. To foil this move, the police rounded up protesters, including some leaders of religious Sikh organisations.

However, this move bounced back on the police when the local gurdwaras announced the protesters’ arrest from the gurdwara loudspeakers in the area.

This led to many residents of the rural area marching towards the adjoining towns to oppose it and start dharnas in the morning.

Sensing trouble, the police released the protesters around 9.30 am. However, by that time it was too late as a number of protesters had reached the adjoining towns, blocking traffic. The police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising SSPs of Moga, Ferozepur and Faridkot. The DIG, Ferozepur range, Amar Singh Chahal, is heading this SIT.