Scuffle between resident, migrant vendors rings alarm bells for administration

Our Correspondent

Raikot, May 28

Two migrant vendors got into a scuffle with an ex-serviceman at Abuwal Road Chowk at Sadhar village on the Mullanpur-Barnala highway near here on Saturday night.

The vendors, who were injured in the incident, were rescued by locals and shifted to a hospital at Sadhar.

Ten days ago, a migrant vendor had allegedly tossed the turban of an elderly Punjabi vendor of Tharike village under the Ludhiana Sadar police station.

Tharike residents had launched an agitation to make migrants remove makeshift tents which were used as vends in competition with local residents. An FIR had been registered against the migrant then.

Prompt action by the administration and timely intervention by local leaders saved the situation from turning ugly in a similar manner at Sadhar Bazaar yesterday.

Seeing a local turbaned person being beaten up by vendors, a large number of unknown local youths overpowered the assaulters and wrecked their belongings, including cart and vegetables.

The situation could have worsened further, had some local leaders not intervened and stopped the youth from attacking other vendors at the market. Raikot SDM Gurbir Singh Kohli said cops had been keeping a close watch on the situation.