Mohali police crack down, clear Airport Road blocked by Amritpal supporters (original) (raw)

The Mohali police on Tuesday cracked down on supporters of self-styled preacher Amritpal Singh, who had been squatting on Airport Road for the past few days, and cleared the stretch for vehicular movement.

The siege had been in place since Saturday evening when the Punjab Police began their operation against ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief and his aides.

The protesters had been sitting in front of Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan, Sohana, since Saturday as they demanded clarity on Amritpal Singh’s arrest, while simulatenously demanding the release of his aides who have been nabbed during a statewide crackdown by the police.

The action was taken on Tuesday after back channel talks between the administration and protesters failed to break the ice and the management committee of the Singh Shaheedan Gurdwara complained to the administration that they were facing issues due to the ongoing protest outside their premises.

Heated arguments broke out on Tuesday between the management committee of the gurdwara and the protesters camping at the spot, following which the police moved in and launched a crackdown.

The siege had been in place since Saturday evening when the Punjab Police began their operation against ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief and his aides. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

By noon, sources said, a heavy police force had been deployed at Airport Road along with buses to ferry away the protesters in case of crackdown. Most of the protestors, police said, were part of ‘Quami Insaaf Morcha’, which is staging a separate demonstration at the Mohali-Chandigarh border since January 7 for the release of Sikh prisoners who have completed their jail terms in terror related cases.

Although the protesters initially resisited when the police started the crackdown, they were soon overpowered and transported to different police stations in the city where they will be questioned before further action being taken.

On Tuesday, a police officer sustained minor injuries, while uprooting some tents that had been erected by the protesters. A bunch of minor scuffles were also reported between the police and the protesters during the crackdown, which saw personnel from district police and those from 82nd Reserved Battalion of Punjab Police being pressed into action.

The police said that they have detained at least two dozen protesters, all of whom were later taken to the Sohana police station in a bus and pick-up vans. A bunch of sticks, iron rods and some swords have been recovered from the protesters.

On Tuesday, soon after the crackdown, traffic was opened for general commuters on teh stretch with a heavy police force remaining present at the spot to deter protesters from regrouping or coming back.

Mohali Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said that the action was neccessitated as teh administration had been receiving complaints from locals and the resident welfare associations about the inconvenience the protest was causing. She added that the law and order situation in the district was under control.

The police had earlier put traffic restrictions in place in and around the protest area, diverting vehicular flow through alternative routes. However, the protest had a ripple effect, with many roads of Mohali city on Monday witnessing jams, leading to commuters being hassled, students facing problems in reaching their schools, and people getting late for their offices.

The police are also verifying that whether the persons detained from the dharna site were involved in the violence which took place on February 18 at the border of Mohali-Chandigarh. The UT police had released the pictures of the suspects.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann later on Tuesday, in his first official reaction since the operation against Amritpal Singh began, said, “Punjab is in safe hands. Those trying to spread hate have been arrested.”

The police were in the process of identifying the detainees and the information shall be shared with Chandigarh police to identify whether any of the protestors was involved in violence.