Anti-mining samiti leader attacked; protesters block road for 18 hours

Four masked men forcefully entered the shop of Manohar Lal, a leader of Khanan Roko Jameen Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, Talwara, located near the community health centre (CHC) at Bhol Klota village, attacked and seriously injured him. After the attack, the attackers fled the spot in the darkness of the night. The samiti has held stone-crusher owners in the Kandi area and the illegal mining mafia responsible for the attack. Later, it held a protest on the Talwara-Daulatpur road, demanding arrest of the assailants.

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Samiti leader Subedar Captain (retd) Manohar Lal Mangu Maira said that late on Friday he was sitting inside his shop when four persons, who came on two motorcycles, forcefully entered the shop and attacked him with sticks and sharp-edged weapons and seriously injured him. During this, they also kept saying that “you say that you will not rest until the crushers are closed, so we have come to teach you a lesson”. After this, the attackers took advantage of the darkness and managed to flee.

Capt (retd) Joginder Singh Basantpur, a member of the samiti, got Manohar admitted to the CHC late at night, from where he was taken to BBMB Hospital. Doctors there referred him to Civil Hospital, Mukerian, from where he was taken to Jalandhar due to his critical condition.

Demanding the arrest of the accused in the case, the samiti, along with the people of the area, sat on a dharna, blocking the Talwara-Daulatpur road. The overnight traffic jam continued during the day as well. Police officials tried to persuade the protesters to lift the blockade, but they were adamant on not lifting it until the attackers were arrested. Talwara police, then, forcibly got the blockade lifted by taking the protesting leaders into custody in the afternoon.

After this, the samiti started a sit-in in front of Talwara police station in the evening to get the detained leaders released unconditionally. The protest was continuing till the time of filing of the news and the protesters were adamant on not lifting it until their demand was met.