Chandigarh: Accusing them of attempted murder, the Punjab Police and Chandigarh Police have registered separate FIRs against organisers of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha in connection with the clash Wednesday that left at least two dozen Chandigarh Police personnel and a dozen Punjab Police personnel injured.
Seven prominent organisers of the protest have been named in the FIR filed by Chandigarh Police, while the Punjab Police has registered a case against unknown persons. Both FIRs were registered late last night. In addition to section 307 (attempt to murder), police have invoked a number of other IPC sections in both FIRs against the protesters, including sections pertaining to rioting, assault, and illegal use of weapons.
However, no arrests have been made either by the Chandigarh Police or the Punjab Police in connection with the violence yet.
Asked why the Punjab Police did not name any suspects in its FIR, Station House Officer (SHO), Mataur, Gabbar Singh told ThePrint that the police is “in the process of identifying the miscreants”.
Addressing a press conference Wednesday evening, organisers of the protest laid all the blame for the clash at the door of the Chandigarh administration, alleging that it was the police who provoked peaceful protesters as they were trying to enter Chandigarh.
Nearly 24 hours later, Punjab’s political class chose to virtually ignore the clash between police and protesters despite video footage of it showing armed protesters chasing policemen, beating them up mercilessly and vandalising police vehicles.
For a change, the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is on the same page as political rivals Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — all of whom have so far remained mum on the clash.
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What is Qaumi Insaaf Morcha demanding
The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha is a permanent sit-in protest on the Chandigarh-Punjab border in Mohali that began on 7 January this year. Protesters there are demanding the release of nine Bandi Singhs or Sikh prisoners who were arrested for various crimes during the days of militancy in Punjab and have been incarcerated for over 20 years.
Protesters had gathered at the historical Amb Sahib Gurdwara in Mohali on 7 January and started moving towards Chandigarh when they were stopped. This is when they decided to organise a permanent sit-in on the spot for which they erected tents and a stage.
Protesters and supporters have been addressed by Sikh leaders at the site everyday since.
Leaders of nearly all political parties in Punjab, in a bid to cater to the radical Sikh vote bank, have lent their support to the cause.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) — apex body responsible for management of gurdwaras — is also running a worldwide signature campaign to amplify their demand for the release of Bandi Singhs. Among the signatories are Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Leaders of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha include heads of various radical Sikh organisations who have joined forces to unitedly put up their demand.
Seven of the nine Bandi Singhs in question were convicted for the 1995 assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. While five of these convicts are facing life sentences, two are on death row.
Former Babbar Khalsa militant Jagtar Singh Hawara, who had masterminded the assassination, also features in the list. His father Gurcharan Singh is one of the main organisers of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha.
Gurcharan Singh is among those named by the Chandigarh Police in its FIR, besides advocates Amar Singh Chahal and Jaswinder Singh Rajpura.
This is the second time in under one month that Qaumi Insaaf Morcha protesters turned violent.
On 18 January, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami was attacked by protesters after his visit to the protest site. Videos show a group of armed violent protesters chasing his car, attacking it with swords and axes.
Addressing a press conference later that day, Dhami advised organisers to manage protesters better. The organisers should not allow unruly elements to hijack the protest and bring a bad name to the cause, he said.
Organisers of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, while regretting the “unfortunate incident”, said Dhami should not have visited the protest site uninvited as many protesters were opposed to the SGPC over certain “unresolved” Sikh issues.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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