There is a curfew in Patiala, situation is tense after the violence on Friday in the spate between pro-Khalistan and a Shiv Sena outlet.
The “battle erupted when in Patiala Punjab, a Hindutva group organized the Khalistan Murdabad rally yelled out slogans “Khalistan Murdabad” (death to Khalistan). On hearing this, the pro-Khalistan groups came out with a Khalistan Zindabad rally. The Sikhs in the rally then chased the group with swords and raised Bole so Nihal slogans.
Curfew was imposed in Patiala and on Friday, violence broke out over ‘anti-Khalistan’ march in the reaction by the Sikh Nihangs who gathered at Dukh Niwaran Sahib gurdwara to counter the call for a march calling “Khalistan Murdabad” given by the Hindutva group (Bal Thackeray) led by Harish Singla, wherein the Nihangs marched towards the Kali Mata temple raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the police said.
Rahul Gandhi: Congress party can maintain peace in Punjab
Congress leader Rahul Gandi in his earlier speech two months ago in Punjab firmly declared that the Congress party can maintain peace in Punjab. He warned the people in his rally to take heed of his words, AAP would ruin Punjab, mark my words, he said.
Rahul Gandhi yesterday expressed after the violence, “Visuals from Patiala are disturbing”. “I repeat, Peace & Harmony are most imperative in a sensitive border state like Punjab. This is not the place to carry out experiments. Earnestly appeal to the Punjab govt to ensure law and order is maintained,” he posted.
#RahulGandhi had warned the people of Punjab but they failed to listen. Today the visuals coming from Patiala Punjab are disturbing. Due to bad governance the situation in Punjab state is out of control.#PatialaViolence#Punjab#RahulWasRight https://t.co/uDycsi7YUm pic.twitter.com/NtOTghC4nM
— Sunitajadhav (@sunmor2901) April 29, 2022
Gaurav Pandhi from Congress tweeted, “Stronger #Punjab means stronger India. Weak Punjab is a dream of the enemies of India. I sincerely hope the state Govt will utilize resources in maintaining law & order in the state rather than using it for witch-hunting the political opponents. #Patiala”
Stronger #Punjab means stronger India. Weak Punjab is a dream of the enemies of India.
I sincerely hope the state Govt will utilise resources in maintaining law & order in the state rather than using it for witch-hunting the political opponents. #Patiala
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) April 29, 2022
This is the frightening situation in Patiyala, Punjab 🙄. First, #Delhi and now #Punjab is under attack. Mr. @ArvindKejriwal what are you doing? Still, you will be a mute spectator and blame others for your inability to deal with the situation !!
This is frightening situation in Patiyala, Punjab 🙄
First #Delhi and now #Punjab is under attack..
Mr. @ArvindKejriwal what are you doing ?
Still you will be mute spectator and blame on others for your inability to deal with the situation !!— Shubhra (@shubhshaurya1) April 29, 2022
Netizens are tweeting in alarm, “Rahul Gandhi had warned the people of Punjab but they failed to listen. Today the visuals coming from Patiala Punjab are disturbing. Due to bad governance, the situation in Punjab state is out of control.
#PatialaViolence”
What Led to the Violence:
After slogans led by the Hindutva workers about “Khalistan Murdabad” (death to Khalistan), the Nihang Sikhs near Kali Mata Mandir in Patiala on Friday ran out to chase them se . (Express Photo By Harmeet Sodhi)
An 11-HOUR curfew was imposed in Punjab’s Patiala from 7 pm on Friday after the police fired several rounds in the air to avert a clash between members of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray), who had called for an “anti-Khalistan” march, and Sikh activists and Nihangs brandishing swords outside the Kali Mata temple, officials said.
The incident also led to stone-pelting by both sides, officials said, adding that at least four persons, including two policemen, were injured in the clash.
The incident was the first major law-and-order incident in the state under the new AAP government. While Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called for an “immediate probe” and directed officials to ensure that those guilty are not spared, the Opposition Congress and SAD criticized the state government for what they described as “anarchy”.
Shiv Sena Takes Strong Action and Expels Local Leader, Harish Singla
On Friday evening, the Shiv Sena leadership in Mumbai ushered its Punjab unit to take “stern action” against all those linked to the party who were involved in the clash. In a statement issued through the Punjab unit, the Sena said it has expelled a local leader, Harish Singla, who had allegedly led the “Khalistan Murdabad” march.
Singla was later arrested in a case lodged under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity), 186 (obstructing public servant), 188 (disobeying official orders), and 353 (assault to deter public servant).
Two more cases on various charges, including an attempt to murder (IPC section 307) were registered against “unknown persons” on complaints from both sides involved in the clashes.
Singla has been described as the working president of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray), the unit of the Sena in Punjab. The state has about 15 Sena factions, including Shiv Sena Samajwadi, Shiv Sena Rashtrawadi, Shiv Sena Hindu Bhayia, and Shiv Sena Akhand Bharat.
Leaders at the Sena HQ in Mumbai said the party directed the Punjab unit to issue an official statement announcing the action against Singla. “Punjab Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) working president Harish Singla has been expelled from the party. Along with him, a few party workers were also suspended. Singla led a protest rally in Patiala. The march turned violent, leading to clashes with some members of Sikh organizations,” the statement said.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the group involved in the clashes was “not a Shiv Sena unit”. “Some people claim to be from Shiv Sena. They have no connection with Shiv Sena. We have already said that they should be removed,” Raut said.
Shiv Sena’s Punjab president Yograj Sharma said Singla has been officially expelled from the party for “anti-party activities” on “orders” from party supremo Uddhav Thackeray, Yuva Sena national president Aaditya Thackeray and Sena national secretary Anil Desai.
According to Sharma, the party had written to the Patiala SSP on April 20 to convey that it had nothing to do with Singla’s call, which was made in “his personal capacity”. Singla was not available for comment.
Singla had announced the march around 15 days ago after the banned outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), gave a call to observe “Khalistan sthapna diwas (Khalistan foundation day) in April across district police offices in Haryana”.
Patiala SSP Nanak Singh said Singla was denied permission to hold the march. The officer also said that activists of the Sikh outfit SAD (Amritsar) were denied permission to hold a meeting on Thursday against Singla’s call, and were assured that the march would not be allowed.
Following the clash, Singla was attacked by members of the local Hindu community outside the temple on Friday evening when he had come to attend a meeting. They accused him of “vitiating the atmosphere with the march”, officials said. The windowpanes of Singla’s car were shattered, they said.
Officials in Patiala said curfew was imposed till 6 am on Saturday due to “incidents of breach of peace and disputes between certain different groups in the district, which can result in further disturbance of peace and communal and maintenance of law and order”.
Describing the incident as “deeply unfortunate”, Chief Minister Mann posted on Twitter: “I spoke with the DGP, peace has been restored in the area. We are closely monitoring the situation and will not let anyone create disturbance in the state.”
Mann tweeted that his government “will not allow anti-Punjab forces to disturb Punjab’s peace at any cost”. The AAP, meanwhile, posted pictures purportedly from the clash and accused two people shown in the images of being BJP leaders with links to the party’s top leadership.
Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma told reporters in Chandigarh “it is a matter of grave concern that such an incident was allowed to happen”, and that the administration “should have been alert”.
Detailing the sequence of events, police officers in Patiala said that a group of Nihangs gathered at Dukh Niwaran Sahib gurdwara to counter the Sena unit’s call and marched towards the temple raising slogans. They were joined by other Sikh activists, they said.
The police team, including Patiala SSP Nanak Singh, fired several rounds in the air to disperse the Sikh group which had reached outside the temple. A separate police contingent was deployed at Arya Samaj, a kilometer away, where those supporting Singla’s call were holding the march.
SHO Karanvir Singh from Tripuri police station sustained a minor hand injury while trying to stop the Sikh group, a police officer said. “A head constable also got injured and had to be administered 15-16 stitches,” SSP Singh said.
According to the SSP, Sikh protesters alleged that a member of their group suffered a gunshot injury. “We are getting it examined by doctors,” he said. A member of the “anti-Khalistan” march sustained a “minor injury” on the hand allegedly caused by a sharp-edged weapon, the SSP said.
The Sikh activists later sat on a dharna demanding action against those who caused the “gunshot injury” but dispersed after being assured by the police that a separate case would be registered.
Punjab Congress Chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the incident and appealed to all for maintaining law and order and peace. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal tweeted that the incident was “deeply disturbing and a cause for grave concern”. “Administrative paralysis in the state has seen law & order situation drifting towards anarchy in recent weeks,” Badal posted.
Is Punjab Going to See Stormy Days Again?
Earlier, Former Aam Aadmi Party leader and poet Kumar Vishwas, warns Bhagwant Mann that Kejriwal will betray Punjab and him one day, as he and Alka Lamda were summoned by law for a few tweets. Also, as soon as the AAP government took over, 100 farmers were lathi-charged and booked, and Navjot Singh Sidhu accuses Aam Aadmi Party of killing one Congress worker in Punjab. Unless Punjab is handled with care, destabilization of Punjab is detrimental to India. Also, incendiary attacks on Punjabis calling them “Khalistani terrorists” are only adding fuel to fire and not helping the situation.