Section 144 imposed to prevent Bargari repeat

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, December 13

Anticipating the resumption of Panthic leaders’ protest at Bargari in the coming days, the district administration on Thursday promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, banning any gathering at Bargari grain market, the site of previous dharna.

Since December 9 when parallel acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Dhian Singh Mand had announced to call off the protest in the presence of Cabinet ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, there has been dissenting voices from Panthic leaders, including Baljit Singh Daduwal, parallel Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, and Buta Singh Ransih, general secretary, SAD (1920).

Ransih yesterday gave a call for a meeting at Bargari on December 18 to gather opinion about the winding up of the morcha from Sikh sangat. He said the meeting had been called at the gurdwara where the sacrilege incident took place in 2015.

Daduwal is already insisting that the dharna should have continued till some concrete steps were taken on their demands.

Rajiv Prashar, Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, said in view of the inconvenience created by the six-month-long dharna at the grain market, the prohibitory orders had been promulgated.

Some anti-social elements also participated in such morchas and there were always chances of some untoward incidents, he said. The orders would remain in force till February 8 next year, the DC said.