People's Democracy

COLLAPSE OF LAW AND ORDER IN PUNJAB

Sanjha Morcha Organises Protest Week

THE Sanjha Morcha of Punjab, with the CPI(M), Punjab People’s Party, CPI and Alkali Dal (Longowal) as its constituents, organised a Protest Week all over the state from December 10 to 17, 2012.

During the week, dharnas and rallies were organised at all the district headquarters in the state. Hundreds of workers belonging to the Sanjha Morcha parties and local people participated in these actions. 

At Ludhiana, hundreds of workers took out a procession from Chattar Park to the Mini Secretariat. Charan Singh Virdi of the CPI(M) Kartar Singh Buani (district secretary, CPI), Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon (district secretary of the CPI-M) and others led the protest march. Speaking on the occasion, Virdi said Sukhbir Singh Badal, deputy chief minister, was solely responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state as he extends patronage to all the criminal elements in the ruling Akali Dal.

At Nawanshahar, CPI(M) state secretariat member Vijay Misra, CPI state secretary Bant Brar and other leaders led the protest rally. The speakers, while addressing the gathering, stated that recent incidents like the Shruti kidnapping case, the murder of a police officer who was trying to save the honour of his daughter in Amritsar, spraying of acid on a college girl in Ludhiana, Harjinder murder case in Nawanshahar, disappearance of a girl from village Khanpur Kuttowal, rape of a dalit women in Mansa, etc, were  matters of serious concern and could not be tolerated.

At Tarntaran, a protest dharna was organised in front of the deputy commissioner’s office. It was under the leadership of CPI(M) district secretary Devinderjit Singh Dhillon, CPI district secretary Tara Singh Khahira and PPP vice president Maninderpal Singh Palasour. The leaders, while addressing the gathering, stated that the ruling Alkali Dal leaders and workers were behind most of the incidents of crime. The speakers appealed to the people to give a befitting reply to the ruling coalition. A memorandum was submitted to the deputy commissioner.

At Mohali, the Sanjha Morcha constituents organised a dharna in the market of Phase 6. A large number of women also participated in the dharna. The CPI(M)’s district secretary Nazar Singh and district committee member Kuldip Singh, CPI secretary Baldev Singh Jhajj, PPP state council member Dr G S Sandhu, state CITU vice president Chander Shekhar, Janwadi Istri Sabha president Surinder Kaur and many others addressed the huge gathering.

At Sangrur, a procession was organized from Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup to the deputy commissioner’s office. District secretaries of the Sanjha Morcha constituents --- Bant Singh Namol (CPI-M), Satwant Singh Khandewal (CPI), S Harman Preet Singh Dikki (PPP) --- and S Baldev Singh Mann, national general secretary of Alkali Dal (Lonowal) led the procession. Many other leaders also addressed the rally. A memorandum was submitted to the deputy commissioner.

At Amritsar, a big rally was organised in front of office of the deputy commissioner by the CPI(M), CPI, PPP and Alkali Dal (Longowal). Manmohan singh Gumtala, Amarjit Singh Asal, Kaamvir Singh Pannu, Dr Surbhi Arora and many other leaders addressed the rally. A memorandum was submitted to the deputy commissioner.

Faridkot saw a massive dharna organised in front of the Mini Secretariat by the CPI(M), CPI, PPP and Alkali Dal (Longowal).  A memorandum was submitted to the deputy commissioner. S Bhupinder Singh Sangatpura (PPP), Dalip Singh, Baljit Singh,  Pardeep Singh Dhaliwal, Amarjit Kaur Panjgrahi and other leaders addressed the gathering. 

Similarly protest dharnas and rallies were organised at all the district headquarters in which hundreds of people participated.

SUCCESSFUL

CONVENTION

The decision to organise the protest week was taken at a joint convention of the Sanjha Morcha at Jalandhar on December 6, 2012. It was there that a resolution on the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab was moved by CPI(M) state secretary Charan Singh Virdi, who commented that there is Jungle Raj in  Punjab and that the said convention was the beginning of efforts to end  it. He also expressed the hope that the people of Punjab would rise to fight out the Jungle Raj. Speaking on the resolution, other Sanjha Morcha leaders expressed serious concern over the total collapse of law and order in the state, saying that there was an alarming increase in the incidents of eve teasing and harassment of young women, especially of school and college going girls, in the recent past. The speakers drew the attention of people towards the recent Shruti kidnapping case of Faridkot and the daylight murder of a police inspector in Amritsar by the general secretary of the youth wing of ruling Alkali Dal, when this police inspector was trying to save the honour of his daughter. In both the cases Alkali Dale leaders were involved and therefore the government and police were trying to shield the culprits.

The speakers also expressed concern over the revival of separatist and extremist forces in the state, and condemned the policy of appeasement the Badal government has been adopting towards these elements. The convention adopted the resolution with raising of hands and amid slogan shouting, declaring that the Sanjha Morcha would hold protest dharnas and rallies to mobilise the people all over the state from December 10 to 17, 2012 in order to safeguard the human rights and civil liberties of the people. Sanjha Morcha chairman and PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal declared that nobody would be allowed to disturb the hard earned unity and peace brought by years of struggles and sacrifices of thousands of lives in Punjab.