Gurdaspur, Punjab (May 31, 2012): As per reports, Gurdaspur city of Punjab remained peaceful but tense on May 28, 2012 following the district administration and police clamped ban orders on assembly of more than five persons under section 144 and protesters seeking probe into the March 29, 2012 police firing in which Jaspal Singh, student of Beant Engineering College was killed.
Jaspal singh was killed in police firing when Punjab police fired at peaceful Sikh protesters who were staging a protest sitting near a Sikh Gurudwara Sahib.
On May 28, 2012 the protesters led by Jaspal’s singh ‘s father Gurcharanjit singh and Damdami Taksal cheif Jathedar Lakhwinder Singh wanted to march to Kahnuwan Chowk from Sidhwan Chor village but were stopped by the police mid way and they were forced to stage dharna at Harochhani Road.
The protesters were also demanding arrest of more than half a dozen Shiv Sena activits who were named in FIR causing violence against Sikhs during March 28, 2012 protest against proposed execution of Sikh political prisoner Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana.
While the city fostered look of a police fortress and no vehicle or bus passing through the city was allowed to go unchecked after the Gurdaspur administration clammed ban orders on assembly of five or more persons, as soon as the police came to know that protesters had left Sidhwan Chour village for Kahnuwan Chowk for staging their dharna, the alert police stopped them midway and they were forced to pitch their tents at Hardochhani Road where members of the various radical outfits addressed the gathering.
The protesters said even though the government had launched two probe panels – one led by Jalandhar Division Commissioner and other by DIG border Range, the police seemed to be shielding the police officers involved in firing which led to killing of Jaspal Singh and demanded that CBI should be asked to probe the case. Acrimony raised its ugly head when the radical group members did not allow Hardeep Singh to speak and asked him to come down from the stage when he lauded the efforts being made by Gurdaspur MLA and CPS Gurbachan Singh made by him to promote peace and harmony in the city.
While Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Sr Abhinav Trikha and SSPO Ravcharan Singh reached the spot and were seen holding dialogue with the protesters that following ban orders, the protest march could not be allowed to proceed to the city, they were asked to give their memorandum to them at the spot but the protesters refused their offer to stay put at the dharna site.
Gurdaspur DC Dr Abhinav Trkha and SSP Ravcharan Singh in their respective statements said the ban orders were claimed in the city to maintain law and order situation in the city even as most of the protesters had left venue towards the evening, only a hand full of the them were staging dharna. SSP Brar said no untoward incident had taken place during the protest and law and order situation in the city was normal.
It is further notable that a Human Rights body, Lawyers for Human Rights International (LFHRI), in one of it’s recent fact-finding report had also accused police and administration for shielding the guilty cops.