Tension in Garhdiwala over dharamshala; SCs, panchayat stage protests

A dispute erupted between the Scheduled Caste (SC) community and the village panchayat of Chang Basoa over a village dharamshala. In protest, the faction controlling the panchayat along with villagers staged a sit-in demonstration at Tanda Morh, Garhdiwala.

The SC community had earlier surrounded the Garhdiwala police station on Friday, alleging desecration of the sacred idols of Guru Ravidas and BR Ambedkar kept inside the dharamshala. They demanded that the police register a case against members of the panchayat party.

In response, the panchayat faction also organised a protest in Garhdiwala on Saturday against the police administration and members of the SC community.

Upon receiving information about the road blockade, Garhdiwala SHO Satpal Singh Bajwa reached the spot with a police team and held discussions with the protesters.

Later, area MLA Jasvir Singh Raja Gill arrived and assured the demonstrators that the protest stemmed from differences between two groups in Chang Basoa village. He promised that the matter would soon be resolved amicably through discussions between both parties. Following the assurance, the protesters called off their demonstration.