Protesters, cops clash near Punjab CM house in Morinda; DSP among 4 hurt

Tribune News Service

Morinda, October 12

Thousands of Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee (ZPSC) members reaching here to demand rights on different lands in the state allegedly attacked police personnel with stones and lathis here today. At least four cops, including a DSP, suffered injuries.

Following this, the police resorted to a mild lathicharge. It was in the afternoon when nearly 5,000 members of the committee reached the town in private buses and other vehicles to give a memorandum of demands to the Chief Minister. The committee has been demanding allotment of plots to landless Dalits in villages and rights to people already occupying rural land. The committee members claim that Dalits, who comprise 33 per cent of the state population, got hardly two per cent of the land.

The protesters reaching Morinda started moving towards the residence of the CM. They, however, were stopped by the police on the way. The district administration officials accepted the memorandum of demands from the protesters and assured them a meeting with the Revenue Minister. The protesters, however, insisted on meeting the CM. When the officials failed in assuring them a meeting with the CM, they allegedly started hurling stones at cops and many of them could be seen using rods of flags to thrash policemen. The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse them.

SSP Vivek Sheel Soni said four cops, including DSP Gurdev Singh, suffered minor injuries. Ropar DC Sonali Giri said the administration has promised a meeting of the committee members with the CM on October 21.

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