Protest In Gurdaspur Over Shaheed Bhai Jaspal Singhs Murder Case

[Azaad]

The police has stepped up vigil in the town two days ahead of the radical Sikh leaders' protest march against police's "inaction" in a case involving engineering student Jaspal Singh's death in police firing.

Violence rocked the city in March in the aftermath of Balwant Singh Rajoana's conviction in the ex-CM Beant Singh's murder. Curfew was imposed in the town to restore order in the city.

Many Sikh outfits have announced that they will assemble at the busy Kahnuwan Chowk in the heart of the town, which remained a hotbed of militancy late in the eighties, on May 28. The presence of former Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, chief of the Damdami Taksal Harnam Singh Dhuma and SGPC member Baldev Singh Sirsa in the city in the recent past set alarm bells ringing in the police circles.

Senior Superintendent of Police RS Brar said an elaborate two-tier security cover has been put in place and the town has been sealed. The police is also keeping a close watch on known radical groups and is trying to ensure that hardliners stayed away from May 28 rally.

Over two dozen strategic points have been identified for round-the-clock surveillance. The SSP is monitoring the situation. Senior Police officers and SAD MLA Gurbachan Singh Babbehali are working in tandem to ensure that peace prevails in the town.

The radicals have demanded that all the 16 members of the Hindu Shiv Sena against whom a case was registered be arrested. However, a local court yesterday granted bail to all the accused.

Two inquiries are being held into the death of the student -- one by a Special Investigating Team under DIG (Border range) Ram Singh and the other by the Commissioner (Jalandhar Division).

[S1ngh]

This is the reason for sena's release from court:

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SAD NEWS. THE SIKHS WHOSE TURBAN WERE TAKEN OFF IN GURDASPUR AND FOR WHOM JASPAL SINGH DIED & RANJIT SINGH BARELY IS ALIVE, HAVE GIVEN AFFIDAVITS IN FAVOUR OF SHIV SENA ACTIVIST......SHOWS SERIOUS CHARACTER CRISIS IN SIKH'S.

[Mehtab Singh]

Yes, saw this shameful status update on Facebook.

[lsingh]

The witness 's have probably been paid off or been threatened by th Police.

[S1ngh]

Most probably someone paid it off or gave some sort of sarkari job or sarkari plot given to em at throw away prices.

This is the condition of our general sikh character in punjab. We sell ourself soo easily and nobody believes in truth in punjab anymore. All this because of lack of prachar.

[10th regiment]

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/gurdaspur-firing-protesters-demand-arrest-culprits/45491

Gurdaspur firing: Protesters demand arrest of culprits

Monday, May 28, 2012 - 18:00

By Sukhwinder Malhi

GURDASPUR: Gurdaspur remained peaceful but tense following the district adminstration and police clamped ban orders on assembly of more than five persons under section 144 and protesters seeking probe into the police firing in which Jaspal Singh , student of Beant Engineering College was killed .

Jaspal singh was killed in police firing during protest march in the city seeking clemency of death sentence for Balwant Singh Rajoana, one of the accused for former CM Beant Sinngh's killer .The protesters led by Jaspal's singh 's father Gurcharanjit singh and Damdami Taksal cheif Jathedar Lakhwinder Singh wanted to march to Kahnuwan Chowk from Sidhwan Chor village but were stopped by the police mid way and they were forced to stage dharna at Harochhani Road.

The protesters were also demanding arrest of more than half a dozen Shiv Sena activits who were named in FIR causing violence during protest for clemency of death sentence for Rajoana decrying police inaction.

While the city fostered look of a police fortress and no vehicle or bus passing through the city was allowed to go unchecked after the Gurdaspur adminstration clammed ban orders on assembly of five or more persons , as soon as the police came to know that protesters had left Sidhwan Chour village for Kahnuwan Chowk for staging their dharna , the alert police stopped them midway and they were forced to pitch their tents at Hardochhani Road where members of the various radical outfits addressed the gathering .

The protesters said even though the government had launched two probe panels ----one led by Jalandhar Division Commissioner and other by DIG border Range , the police seemed to be shielding the police officers involved in firing which led to killing of Jaspal Singh and demanded that CBI should be asked to probe the case. Acrimony raised its ugly head when the radical group members did not allow Hardeep Singh to speak and asked him to come down from the stage when he lauded the efforts being made by Gurdaspur MLA and CPS Gurbachan Singh made by him to promote peace and harmony in the city .

While Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Sr Abhinav Trikha and SSPO Ravcharan Singh reached the spot and were seen holding dialogue with the protesters that following ban orders , the protest march could not be allowed to proceed to the city , they were asked to give their memorandum to them at the spot but the protesters refused their offer to stay put at the dharna site .

Gurdaspur DC Dr Abhinav Trkha and SSP Ravcharan Singh in their respective statements said the ban orders were clamed in the city to maintain law and order situation in the city even as most of the protesters had left venue towards the evening , only a hand full of the them were staging dharna .SSP Brar said no untoward incident had taken place during the protest and law and order situation in the city was normal .

Exhorting the residents to maintain peace DC Trikha said , the ban order had been clamped by administration so that law and order was maintained to that otherwise peaceful atmosphere was not vitiated in the city .