Gurdaspur Curfew Lifted

[Azaad]

Normalcy returned to Gurdaspur today with the district administration deciding to lift the curfew. There was a heavy rush at shops. Locals made way to their offices after a forced extended holiday. A meeting of the peace committee was held in the morning where representatives of various parties, barring the SAD, voiced their concerns. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Siben.C and the SK Kalia, SSP.

The officers have been camping in the town for the past three days. Dera Baba Nanak MLA and Gurdaspur DCC chief Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa exhorted people to maintain peace at all costs. He rued the absence of local MLA Gurbachan Singh Babbehali and senior SAD leaders, including former Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah, from the deliberations of the committee.

Gurdaspur Member of Parliament Partap Singh Bajwa visited Chour Sidhwan village to express sympathies with the family of 18-year-old engineering student Jaspal Singh who was killed in police firing last Thursday. Dinanagar MLA Aruna Chowdhry and Fatehgarh Churian legislator Tript Rajinder Bajwa made fervent appeals for communal harmony. The curfew was clamped on the town following clashes between two communities. An 18-year-old youth, Jaspal Singh, was killed as the police opened fire to “disperse” the mob.

The death resulted in the suspension of Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police Varinder Pal Singh and Deputy Superintendent of Police Manpreet Singh while Deputy Commissioner Mohinder Singh Kainth was transferred.