Month on, Sector 52-53 stretch opened to traffic

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Mohali, March 12

Over a month after a violent clash took place between protesters, seeking the release of Sikh political prisoners, and police at the Chandigarh-Mohali border, the Sector 52-53 junction has been thrown open to road users.

The barricading at the border was removed on Saturday morning. Police officials posted at the intersection said movement of traffic had been normalised on the section.

However, UT and Mohali police personnel would stay put for the time being. Traffic was seen moving freely at the spot on both sides of the road.

In the wake of the clash, nearly 500 policemen, anti-riot and mounted police had been deployed at the border.

The protest had erupted on February 8 on the road separating Sectors 52-53, leaving scores of policemen injured. Two stretches of road (Sector 52-53 and Sector 51-52) were subsequently closed off to traffic by putting up barricading.

Ever since, 31 representatives of protesters had been holding a two-hour sit-in at the Sector 52-53 site daily, but the symbolic protest was stopped a few weeks earlier. The road separating Sectors 51-52, however, remains closed at the Chandigarh-Mohali border.

Welcoming the reopening of the section, Naresh Kumar, a Phase 3-A resident, said: “I am glad barricading has been removed and road opened to traffic. Local residents had been facing inconvenience for the past one month. We have been living in a state of fear. Parked vehicles had choked the area. The government should resolve such matters as early as possible.”

Lakhbir Singh, a Sector 52 resident, said: “It had been a harrowing past month for area residents. It took us 20-30 minutes extra to make a detour. Protesters and police are not bothered about inconvenience caused to residents. The opening of the road has come as a relief for residents. The barricading on the other section should also be removed at the earliest.”

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued notice of motion to the state of Punjab and other respondents on a petition seeking removal of encroachments by the protesters in Mohali. It would come up for further hearing on March 22 when Punjab and UT would apprise the Bench of steps initiated or proposed. The Bench had also directed the UT to be made a party-respondent.