BJP rally at Lalru hits traffic for 20 minutes

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Lalru, February 15

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s election rally at Lalru brought traffic on one side of the Ambala-Chandigarh national highway to a standstill for close to 20 minutes. Serpentine queues of vehicles with ignition switched off could be seen for more than a kilometre ahead of the venue towards the Ambala side. The rally venue was a vacant area with tents pitched in at a stone’s throw from the main highway.

‘This is harassment’

What if someone has a medical emergency and is heading towards the PGI. This is harassment of citizens and road users. Sukhwinder Baidwan, passenger

Policemen, including women staff, were deployed on the main road to halt the traffic but the traffic police were nowhere to be seen.

Commuters and passengers resented the halting of traffic on the main highway.

“It has been more than 15 minutes that the police have held up the movement of vehicles on one side of the road. You can see the long queue of vehicles on the road. Drivers have left their vehicles and are standing helplessly, waiting for the police to let them go. Is it justified?,” asked an irate car driver, Paramjit Singh, heading towards Chandigarh with his family. Even the slip road alongside the main highway in the town was choked with four-wheelers and two-wheelers. Road users and localites alleged that no prior information about the blockade was given.

“What if someone has a medical emergency and is heading towards the PGI. This is harassment of citizens and road users,” said another car passenger, Sukhwinder Baidwan, held up on the highway.

Localites and passengers said if the common man or a group of citizens try to block the traffic on national highways in support of their genuine demands, the police register an FIR immediately but here they are facilitating the offenders.

Police officials, later, said they were only following the instructions. “The movement of traffic might have been halted momentarily to allow passage to the cavalcade. But the traffic was cleared as soon as the cavalcade left,” said a police official.

Four-wheelers and tractors with party flags were parked alongside the slip road, exacerbating the congestion.

Shopkeeper Intikhab Dar in the main market said the traders in the town were inconvenienced too with the traffic jam, excessive security protocol and police presence as it was chaotic. Eyewitnesses said though it was not a big gathering, security personnel did not take any chances. Some local BJP leaders, who arrived late, were not allowed entry and had to return without attending the rally.