Withdraw FIR, demand Latifpura oustees

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 1

Latifpura oustees, farmers and activists of various social organisations under the banner of Latifpura Murh Waseba Sanjha Morcha today broke the barricades put up by the police to stop them from taking a protest march to the office of the Commissioner of Police.

Protesters were adamant to take out a protest march from Latifpura Model Town to the Police Commissioner’s office. However, police personnel deployed at the protest site didn’t let protesters come on the road. The protesters alleged that they were manhandled by the cops and were forcibly stopped from exercising their right to hold protest.

Meanwhile, a representative from the administration arrived at the spot around 4:30 pm to control the situation. He talked to the protesters, and they arrived at a mutual decision of not holding a protest march but going by cars to the Police Commissioner’s office.

The protesters then held a dharna outside the office and burnt an effigy of CM Bhagwant Mann and the JIT Chairman, demanding withdrawal of a recent FIR lodged against one of the Latifpura residents. They alleged that CM Mann recently made an announcement that nearly 72,000 blue cards have been fraudulently made in the state, however, an FIR has been registered against only one woman resident of Latifpura. Morcha leaders alleged the FIR against the woman resident of Latifpura was done to weaken the morale of protesters and to spread false propaganda. “The government is adopting every means to stop this ‘pucca morcha’. When the talks didn’t work, the government resorted to lodging FIRs and spreading false propaganda of land mafia”, said one of the leaders, Kashmir Singh Ghugshore.

He added that until the government settled the affected families, withdraw these false cases and offer adequate compensation, the protest will not end. Among others present on the occasion include Santokh Singh Sandhu, Gurdeep Singh Bhandal, Sukhjit Singh Droli, Jathedar Kashmir Singh Jandiala, Parminder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Gurbaksh Singh, Lakhvir Singh, Pindu Basi and Paramjit Singh Jabowal.