SYL march: Abhay Chautala, other INLD leaders arrested, sent to Patiala jail till Feb 27 after symbolic digging

Tribune News Service

Shambhu/Kapuri, Ambala, February 23

The Punjab Police on Thursday arrested two MPs, 18 MLAs and 73 workers of INLD, Haryana’s opposition party, for violating Section 144 of the CrPC as they tried to cross over to the Punjab side after symbolic digging of the SYL canal.

Senior Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leaders Abhay Chautala, Ashok Arora and Ram Pal Majra besides Rajya Sabha Ramkumar Kashyap were among those arrested. They have been sent to Patiala Central Jail till February 27.

Earlier, in view of the party’s call for a march to Punjab to dig the SYL canal, INLD workers entered the Punjab portion of the Ghaggar bridge on the Punjab-Haryana border near Shambhu barrier.        

They dug up the ground on the road as a symbolic gesture.

Abhay Chautala addressed the workers and asked them to go back after making the symbolic gesture of digging. Soon, making a U-turn, he requested Punjab Police to let them march into the Punjab side peacefully.

He assured Punjab Police that INLD will maintain peace and asked his party workers to climb down from the barricades. While some INLD workers returned, Chautala persisted with his request for an entry into Punjab.

Punjab Police asked INLD workers to disperse and vacate the area in 10 minutes or else they will be arrested. 

Read: SYL has to be built, ensure peace, says SC

INLD workers were jubilant at the prospect of being arrested for a cause, even as police asked the protesters to come one by one and not to push each other.

While the arrested leaders were seen giving bites to media and posing for photos, many INLD workers demanded that they be arrested by Punjab Police.

After arresting the INLD leaders, Punjab Police started making arrangements for the resumption of traffic. The barricades were completely removed by the evening and traffic was restored on the National Highway.

Earlier, the INLD workers broke the barricade chain and entered Patiala district. Punjab Police had warned the INLD not to move further as Section 144 is in force.

A huge posse of personnel was deployed and barricades were put up at the main entry points from Haryana from where the INLD workers entered Punjab.

Police personnel were deployed in large numbers at the Shambhu toll barrier and Sarala headworks at the border with Haryana.

Abhay Chautala leads march

The barricading at Shambhu toll barrier was just 2 km from the new vegetable market in Ambala where the INLD held ‘Jal Yudh Sammelan’ before their senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala led a march towards Kapuri in Patiala to dig the SYL canal.

Arrangements were made to divert traffic at many places in view of the march.

Ten companies of paramilitary forces and nearly 5,000 policemen were deployed by Punjab near villages along the border with Haryana, officials said.

With the police of the two states worked in tandem to tackle the situation, the roads were barricaded and walls raised at the Shambhu barrier.

Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons, was imposed and five duty magistrates were stationed in the area.

Aerial surveillance was also conducted to keep an eye on the situation.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police did not allow the workers of All-India Sikh Students Federation, which announced to stop INLD workers from entering Punjab, to reach Kapuri or the Shambhu border.

Punjab DGP (Law and Order) HS Dhillon said no one would be allowed to disturb the peace and take the law into their hands.

Police personnel, drawn from neighbouring districts, 10 companies of paramilitary, riot police and a mounted battalion, were deployed along the Shambhu border, about 30 km from Chandigarh.

Haryana DGP KP Singh, ADGP RC Mishra and senior administration and police officers visited the Punjab-Haryana border to take stock of the situation.

Mishra said nearly 1,000 personnel of the state police are monitoring situation in Ambala City and on the NH-1.

Punjab DGP Suresh Arora had earlier visited Shambhu village and had assessed the situation ahead of the INLD’s march. “All possible measures have been taken. Forces are ready to tackle any situation,” the DGP said.

At the Ambala rally, the INLD held Capt Amarinder Singh, the Congress and BJP responsible for the situation. The party wanted Capt Amarinder Singh to apologise to Haryanvis for stopping their water from flowing into Haryana.      

Party leader Ashok Arora said they were not seeking alms as water was their right. Singer Karaveer Fauji sang a song especially composed for the march. — (Inputs by Naveen S Garewal, Jupinderjit Singh, Aman Sood, Nitish Sharma & PTI)