Organisations hold protest in Sangrur against new criminal laws

Sangrur, July 1

In protest against the implementation of three new criminal laws from today, activists of the Tarksheel Society, Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR) and other organisations held a protest rally at Swatantar Bhawan here. They also took out a protest march to the office of the Deputy Commissioner.

The protesters burnt copies of the gazette notifications of the new laws outside the district administrative complex, demanding scrapping of these laws. They submitted a memorandum to an officer of the district administration.

They also protested against the approval accorded by the Delhi Lt Governor under the UAPA for the prosecution of renowned writer Arundhati Roy and Professor Sheikh Skaukat Hussain.

The protesters said the new laws had been enacted by the Centre to silence the voice of the organisations that opposed the “anti-people policies and laws” of the government. They termed these laws as “anti-democratic”.

The protest rally was addressed among others by AFDR state-level leader Swaranjit Singh, Tarksheel Society zonal head Master Paramved, Zamin Prapati Sanghrash Committee leader Bikar Singh Hathoa, Punjab Students Union leader Sukhdeep Singh Hathan, AITUC leader Sukhdev Sharma, BKU (Ugrahan) leader Gobinder Singh Mangwal and Kirti Kisan Union leader Jujhar Singh.