60 Central companies for state, govt to ask for more

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 9

The Centre has announced to send 60 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to the state for BJP president Amit Shah’s motorcycle rally in Jind on February 15. Jat quota leader Yashpal Malik has announced to disrupt the event with his tractor-trailer rally.

State Home Secretary SS Prasad, who is camping in New Delhi, today said he would meet his Central counterpart Rajiv Gauba tomorrow and seek more companies. Earlier, the state had sought 150 companies of Central forces to deal with the situation arising out of Malik’s announcement.

In another development, Leader of the Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala today announced that the INLD would greet Shah with black flags and black balloons.

Abhay, while addressing a meeting at Dabwali in Sirsa today, said Shah would be greeted with black flags if he came by road and with black balloons if he decided to come by a helicopter.

“The Jat leader has announced his tractor-trailer rally much later. Our party had announced to oppose Shah’s visit on the SYL issue the moment the BJP announced this,” the INLD leader said.

He alleged that the Central Government was working against the interests of the state by not constructing the SYL canal despite the Supreme Court’s orders.

Abhay said it was strange the state government had requisitioned 150 companies of Central forces for Shah’s rally.

“If the government feels that Shah’s rally could cause such a big law and order situation, it should ask him to cancel the plan,” he said.

Jat activists have already started registering tractor-trailers to disrupt Shah’s rally.

“I, along with other leaders, visited Jind today to discuss the route to be taken for our rally,” said Malik.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Subhash Barala said talks were afoot with the Jat leaders and he hoped that they would not oppose Shah’s rally.

Barala also asked the INLD to shun politics of confrontation and not try to put hurdles in the BJP’s programme.

Barala said Shah’s motorcycle rally would be organised as per the schedule.

Sunita Duggal, chairperson of Haryana Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation Limited, today led a motorcycle rally from Dabwali in Sirsa. It will reach Jind on February 15.

Panipat: Leave of officers cancelled

• Wary, the Panipat administration has cancelled the leave of administrative and police officials. “No employee will be allowed to go on leave till further orders,” DC Chander Shekhar Khare said.
• The police have started drills to deal with any untoward situation on February 15 (Amit Shah’s rally) and February 18 (‘Balidan Diwas’). DGP BS Sandhu has also called a meeting of range-level officials and SPs in Faridabad on Sunday. TNS

NGT seeks reply on bikes

• The NGT has sought response from the Centre and Haryana on a plea seeking reduction in the number of bikes at BJP chief Amit Shah’s rally, on pollution grounds.
• A Bench, headed by Justice SP Wangdi, issued notices to the Environment Ministry, the Haryana Government, the state pollution control board and the Central Pollution Control Board and sought their replies by February 13. One lakh motorcycles were expected to be mobilised during the rally. PTI

Saini to boycott event 

Kurukshetra: Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini has decided to boycott BJP president Amit Shah’s Jind rally. “There is nothing to cheer about Shah’s visit to Haryana when Jat leaders have once again threatened to jeopardise the law and order situation in the state,” he said. The state government had once again bowed to pressure tactics by leaders of a community to make the rally a success, he added. “It is unfortunate that the state government has decided to withdraw 70 criminal cases registered during the Jat agitation in 2016. CM Manohar Lal Khattar should publicly explain what made him pardon 822 persons allegedly involved in rioting, wrongful restraint and obstructing a public official from discharging duty,” the MP said. TNS

Admn gears up

Karnal: The district administration is taking no chance with regard to a protest call given by the Jat body on February 15 and 18. Deputy Commissioner Aditya Dahiya and Superintendent of Police Jashandeep Singh Randhawa conducted a joint meeting of officials at the Mini-Secretariat on Thursday evening and directed them to coordinate in order to ensure smooth law and order situation in the district. Dahiya said they had made all arrangements and nobody would be allowed to take the law into their hands. Security would be tightened on National Highway-44, railway tracks as well as canals to stop the protesters from blocking them. The City Magistrate had been asked to send letters to the heads of all departments to ensure the safety of their offices between February 14 and 19. Police force would also be deployed, he said.  Forest officials and rangers would be deployed at sensitive locations. TNS