Vienna backlash: 2 die as violence spreads across Punjab
Monday, May 25th, 2009 at 5:27 am
Jalandhar: Two people have died as tension mounted in Punjab on Monday with violence breaking out in several parts of the state following the attack on the head of Dera Sachkhand Baland and his supporters in Vienna on Sunday.
Mobs torched three trains, including Jammu Express, but no one was reported injured. Unconfirmed reports said two persons were killed in police firing. Reports of violence have also come from Amritsar, Patiala and Nawanshahr. A showroom of Hyundai motors in Jalandhar was torched destroying at least 15 brand news cars.
Police fired in the air and curfew was imposed in at three cities of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur. Traffic on the national highway and train services have been disruppted. Protesters also burnt down a train at Dakola near here but one was reported injured.
Army has been called out in certain parts of Jalandhar and has been put on alert all across the state.
Last night followers of the sect had torched several vehicles and indulged in arson in Jalandhar. Senior Superintendent of Police R K Jaiswal said security forces have been deployed at sensitive points to check any untoward incident.
At least 30 people were injured, nine of them seriously when two groups had clashed with knives and handgun at a gurdwara in Vienna on Sunday.
Meanwhile markets in several areas of Punjab, including Patiala, have been closed and bus service has been suspended.
Sources said that the second-in-command of the sect Sant Ramanand who was shot in Vienna died early Monday morning, as he had suffered gun shots.
Around 500 persons at Lambra tried to burn the police station.
The army and police personnel were gheroed by the mob and in self defence army personnel fired and thus one person died and another was injured. Also a gunman of IG (Jalandhar) Sanjiv Kalra was also injured in the incident.
A mob entered in Maqsudan police station burnt one Tata sumo, one motorcycle and shattered glasses of seven other vehicles parked in the malkhana of the police station.
Around 150 persons gathered and entered into the Patiala bus stand and damaged the buses. A Punjab roadways bus coming to Chandigarh from Batala was damaged at Nawanshhar.
Also the Chandigarh-Jalandhar highway was blocked at Banga by the protestors. SSP Jalandhar, RK Jaiswal said, "some 12 cases have been registered by the police for arson and some half dozen people have been rounded-up."
While the army has started flag march in Jalandhar. Harcharan Bains Media adviser to the CM said, "it was a very tragic incident in Vienna the state government strongly condemns this incident. As mark of sympathy, solidarity the Shiromani Akai Dal has decided to call a peaceful bandh of commercial establishments across the state.’"
"The Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal is in touch with the MEA. Also a all party meeting has been called by the CM Parkash Singh Badal tomorrow at Chandigarh for peace," he said.
Bains said, "about a dozen buses have also been burnt in the state."[indianexpress]
Loading ...
