Now Reading: Chandigarh police fire tear gas at march for Sikh prisoners’ release
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Chandigarh police fire tear gas at march for Sikh prisoners’ release
Chandigarh police used tear gas shells and water cannons on Saturday to disperse protesters of the Qaumi Insaf Morcha who tried to break through barricades during a march to Punjab Governor Gulab…
The Story in Brief
Chandigarh police used tear gas shells and water cannons on Saturday to disperse protesters of the Qaumi Insaf Morcha who tried to break through barricades during a march to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria's residence. The protesters are demanding the release of Sikh prisoners, including Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is serving a life sentence for the 1995 assassination of former chief minister Beant Singh.
The police deployed drones to drop tear gas and sealed all border points between Chandigarh and Mohali. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann was detained. The Morcha has called for a 'Punjab Bandh' on August 21 to press for the prisoners' release. Leaders also demanded parole for Hawara to meet his ailing mother.
The Indian Opinion
The demand for releasing 'Bandi Singhs' convicted in militancy cases will inevitably reopen old wounds. While the Morcha frames this as a human rights issue, the state sees it as a national security matter, especially given that the central demand includes men convicted of assassinating an elected chief minister. The test is whether this movement can muster broad political support beyond Sikh fringe groups, or whether the August 21 bandh call will fizzle into another isolated protest.
Sources (3): hindustantimes.com, rediff.com, thefederal.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
