Lawyers protest at Deputy Speaker’s residence over Garhshankar merger

The District Bar Association and the local legal community staged a massive protest today against the Punjab government’s proposal to make Sri Anandpur Sahib a district and merge Garhshankar into it.

The protest took place outside the residence of Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and MLA from the local constituency.

While Rouri was present at his residence, the protesters, instead of submitting a memorandum, staged a sit-in for nearly two hours. Earlier, the legal community had conducted a protest march from the local court complex to Anandpur Sahib Road, raising slogans against the government’s proposal.

District Bar Association President PS Ghuman, Secretary NS Bedi, Local Bar Association President Raj Kumar Bhatti and Secretary Bikramjit Singh addressed the gathering.

They criticised local leaders of the ruling party for attempting to merge Garhshankar with Anandpur Sahib for their own political interests. The leaders emphasised that Garhshankar is an integral part of Hoshiarpur district from historical, administrative and economic perspectives.

They argued that such a merger would only create administrative and judicial hardships for the people. The speakers warned that if the government did not clarify its stance on the issue, daily protests would continue.

Panchayats urge Garhshankar merger with Nawanshahr

Sarpanches and Panchayat representatives from various Panchayats in Garhshankar submitted a memorandum to Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and MLA Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, demanding that Garhshankar be linked to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) district.

The representatives highlighted that many villages in the Garhshankar Assembly constituency are geographically closer to Nawanshahr, but residents are forced to travel 60–80 kilometres to Hoshiarpur district for government work. The journey poses significant challenges, especially for the poor, labourers, women, and the elderly, resulting in wasted time, money and effort.

Sarpanch Boota Singh Alipur said, “We have been demanding this for many years, but now people have full faith that Deputy Speaker Rouri will solve this problem. Connecting with Nawanshahr will solve dozens of problems in the area.”

Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri responded, “In a democracy, public opinion is the most important. The Panchayats’ demands will be immediately placed before the government and the relevant higher officials.”