Punjab shutdown peaceful, evokes mixed response (Roundup)
December 7th, 2009 - 8:17 pm ICT by IANS ( 2 comments )
Chandigarh, Dec 7 (IANS) The Punjab shutdown call given by radical Sikh organisations to protest against Saturday’s violence in Ludhiana passed off peacefully and evoked a mixed response in the state Monday.
Shops in most cities and towns across the state remained closed Monday. Educational institutions at most places also remained shut or saw low attendance.
However, movement of vehicles on roads in cities and towns and highways remained normal. Railway traffic on the busy Amritsar-Ludhiana-Ambala section was also not affected.
Radical Sikh organisations led by Damdami Taksal and Sant Samaj, among others, had called for a Punjab shutdown Monday.
In a joint statement, Damdami Taksal chief Harnaam Singh Khalsa, All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad and Khalsa Action Committee chief Mohkam Singh said that they are satisfied with the shutdown.
The statement said: “Eighty percent of Punjab was closed. Most of the big cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Moga, Faridkot and Bathinda were closed today (Monday). It was a peaceful bandh and there has been no (untoward) incident.”
The Sikh organisations, which clashed with the police Saturday while trying to disrupt a religious conference of controversial sect leader Ashutosh Maharaj of the Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan, said that they will not let any self-styled spiritual leader hold programmes in Punjab.
They sought the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Harish Bedi, who organised the function of Ashutosh Maharaj.
Punjab Police and paramilitary forces remained on high alert, especially in the industrial city of Ludhiana, 110 km from here.
Ludhiana continued to be under curfew for the third day Monday with heavy presence of security forces.
This followed violent incidents in Ludhiana on Friday and Saturday which left one person dead and several injured.
Panjab University also postponed its examinations scheduled Monday at Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Chandigarh centres in view of the shutdown and curfew in Ludhiana. Punjabi University, Patiala also postponed its examinations scheduled Monday.
Educational institutions, including the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), in Ludhiana were ordered closed by the local administration.
Trains left from Amritsar station normally Monday morning and passed through Ludhiana, the centre-point of trouble over the last three days.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal earlier announced a grant of Rs.500,000 for the family of Darshan Singh, an auto-rickshaw driver who was killed in police firing Saturday.
- Mixed response to Punjab shutdown call, Ludhiana under curfew (Lead) - Dec 07, 2009
- Punjab Police on high alert Monday after shutdown call - Dec 07, 2009
- Ludhiana tense as curfew continues - Dec 06, 2009
- Curfew on in Ludhiana, no incident on Sunday (Lead) - Dec 06, 2009
- Sikhs burn effigy of controversial sect leader in Amritsar during Punjab Bandh - Dec 07, 2009
- Punjab on high alert after radicals' shutdown call Monday - Dec 07, 2009
- Punjab shutdown peaceful till noon - Dec 07, 2009
- Curfew enforced in Ludhiana following violent protests - Dec 06, 2009
- Curfew relaxed in Ludhiana - Dec 08, 2009
- 'Save Bhullar' campaign picking up in Punjab - Jun 22, 2011
- Ludhiana: One killed and 12 injured in protest against Ashutosh Maharaj's visit - Dec 05, 2009
- Punjab shutdown against riots hits normal life (Roundup) - Nov 03, 2009
- Punjab shutdown against riots hits normal life (Second Lead) - Nov 03, 2009
- Sikh organisations protest against Ashutosh Maharaj's visit - Dec 05, 2009
- Punjab State Assembly witnesses scuffle between Akali and Congress MLAs - Dec 08, 2009
Tags: bandh, bathinda, committee chief, controversial sect, damdami taksal, faridkot, low attendance, maharaj, mohkam singh, panjab university, paramilitary forces, railway traffic, religious conference, sant samaj, sect leader, sikh organisations, sikh students, singh khalsa, untoward incident, violent incidents
December 7th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
The So-called Radicals And The Sant Samaj May Not Be Allowed To Move Together
After terrorizing the people, the administration always acts as referee and order the teams used for the purpose, act separately under its command henceforth till further order.
Similar way happened in Ludhiana.
As to how many innocent Sikhs killed and injured in Ludhiana Police firing, must be in the knowledge of the unhurt Sant Samaj and the radicals present at the time of police firing or the police and the intelligence officials might have informed them clearly who got lifted their dharana from Samrala chowk (Ludhiana), being said under somewhat suspicious circumstances.
The number of causalities could be more as now, the aggrieved started coming to claim about the missing from the scene of police firing as reported.
From the blame game, it can also be concluded that the so-called radicals, and the Sant Samaj, always remain unhurt like a filmy hero may not be allowed to move together hereafter, and, then, Sikhs are not likely to follow them to sacrifice their lives so innocently.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:46 am
What A Mockery Of The Democracy In India?
Balbir Singh Sooch, Advocate, Ludhiana
THE SO-CALLED RADICALS AND THE SANT SAMAJ MAY NOT BE ALLOWED TO MOVE TOGETHER-Punjab Bandh supported by the government got mixed response but remained peaceful except setting ablaze effigy of controversial sect leader Ashutosh Maharaj in Amritsar. The so-called radicals and the Sant Samaj may not be allowed to move together for lawlessness or projected collectively as heroes hereafter, at least, for a long interval.
After terrorizing the people, the administration always acts as referee and order the radical teams used for the purpose, act separately under its command henceforth till further order. Similar way happened in Ludhiana.
Ashutosh Maharaj got maximum publicity worldwide and permitted to be victorious for the cause and his supremacy, because of the open support of BJP and other similar organizations having strong hold in the centre.
CM Parkash Singh Badal seemed helplessly supporting; the anticipated lawlessness with the result loss of lives was to occur in this case, due to the prevailing political set up as being experienced in India.
As earlier said in some other context, “let any Sikh be, may be from the so-called radical groups, in the position of Badal, and he shall be readily willing to behave in the manner as Badal does in the given system of the Indian democracy.
I don’t see much difference in Sikhs or differentiate Sikhs or anybody else in India when the question arises about sharing political power at any level. As long as I did not get opportunity to disown any such position, even, I am not ready to justify myself, what to talk of the personalities like Badal, Sukhbir, Amarinder Singh etc?”
What to talk of BJP or Congress, We ourselves are beoming fools as they are never different in any manner with regard to dealing with Sikhs! There would never be any shortage of Sikhs to get support from them collectively or separately or act as a puppet on their terms and conditions, that to play similar politics. Even, today, the so-called Sikh radical groups are doing agency work at the cost of innocent Sikhs.
The comment may be seen or weighed in the light of the statement of Union minister Farooq Abdullah, who created a flutter by claiming that “some powers” (the Indian central agencies) had prevented him from probing the massacre of 35 Sikhs at Chattisinghpora in 2000 on the eve of Bill Clinton’s visit to India.