Mohali Morcha: Plea seeks removal of encroachment by protesters
Chandigarh, March 10
A non-government organisation today moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court in public interest seeking the removal of encroachment by protesters in Mohali.
Among other things, petitioner-organisation Arrive Safe Society of Chandigarh contended it was learnt the protesters were seeking the release of Sikh prisoners, including Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in Punjab’s former CM Beant Singh’s assassination case. They also wanted the release of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, a 1993 Delhi bomb blast convict.
The petition was placed before the Division Bench of Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Gurbir Singh this morning. It will now come up for further hearing on March 22 when Punjab and UT will apprise the Bench of steps initiated or proposed. The Bench also asked the UT to respond to the averments raised in the petition.
The organisation, through its president Harman Singh Sidhu, submitted nobody could be certain when and under what circumstances such a large gathering of persons might turn violent and the protest might take “shape of a lawless mob disturbing peace and harmony of innocent passersby, those engaged in their daily pursuits or those residing in their property in Mohali and nearby areas”. Describing it as a “crucial issue”, Sidhu added it required the high court’s timely intervention “at a pre-emptive stage”.
Sidhu added it had been reported in newspapers a clash broke out between the protesters and police, when the demonstrators were heading towards Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Chandigarh. In all, 11 police personnel of Mohali district were injured and admitted to the Civil Hospital, Phase 6.
Sidhu added “thousands of protesters” had encroached upon the road leading to Mohali at Mataur since January, while holding a protest/morcha for an indefinite period. “These protesters have been sitting on the site for the past three months, under the nose of state/district administration and are causing huge inconvenience to public at large, who have been stopped from commuting daily for their work/job/study from the route and are suffering unnecessary for no fault of theirs,” he contended.
Sidhu stated leniency and refrain to the extent of not putting the general public to peril and inconvenience was understandable. But when associations, organisations and even people at large got together to block a public road, the administration was required to take immediate steps to prevent such a thing from happening.
Protests by unions, associations or people were permitted, but at earmarked places. Directions were required to be issued to the official respondents/authorities to remove the encroachment by protesters around YPS Chowk, Phases 7 and 3-A in Mohali at the earliest.
