JALANDHAR: The Akali Dal (Badal) was prevented from holding a rally here on March 14 through an undeclared curfew enforced around the venue of the tally and massive arrangements by the Punjab police to stop the Party workers from entering the city.

The Akali Dal (B) president, Parkash Singh Badal was among the senior Akali leaders man handled and subsequently arrested for defying prohibitory orders. Badal was hum in the chest when the police sought to physically Prevent him from entering Gurdwara Diwan Ashthan in the central town locality of the city.

In the melee, Badal lost balance and fell down and had to be rested for several minutes before being allowed to enter the gurdwara. His pullover was also tom in the me lee, Badal later described it as a” black day” in the country’s history and Said that the government was adopting “double standards.” While it was allowing and encouraging public meetings organized by the ruling party, it was preventing political activity by the Akalis, he added.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) chief, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the Akali Dal (Badal) secretary gen éral, G,S .Dhindsa, and the party’s senior vice president, Kuldip Singh Wadala, were among hundreds of persons detained by the police and released later in the evening, The two former Prime Ministers, Y.P;Singh and Chandra Shekhar, who were scheduled to address the rally, did not turn up apparently after reports that the district administration had declined permission for holding the rally.

The police had laida siege around the venue of the proposal rally in the Layalpur Khalsa College campus since early on Sunday which was reminiscent of the massive arrangements in Delhi early this month, under the supervision of the DGP, K.P.S.Gill, to prevent BJP workers from reaching the Boat Club. Sources said that about a 100 party workers were able to sneak into the vicinity of the site and were rounded up by the police. Such was the extent of security arrangements that even pedestrians were not allowed on a stretch of the Grant Trunk Road which Jed to the venue of the foiled rally. The orders, said the police officials manning the check points, were so strict that even Press personnel on duty were not allowed to enter the area. They said that though only prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC were in force, they had instructions that no one could be allowed in.

Former Justice Ajit Singh Bains, chairman of the Punjab Human Rights Organization, who was present near the barricades on the Ladhiana—Jalandhar road, said that the act of the government was “murder of democracy.” He said that the Beant Singh government was afraid of a show of strength by the Akalis.

Badal, while addressing a congregation in Gurdwara Diwan Asthan shortly before his arrest, said that the government had panicked after receiving reports about a major turnout at the rally.

Badal refuted the claim made by the district administration that the rally was disallowed because of security threats to V.P.Singh and Chandra Shekhar. He said that the security personnel had held discussions with them till Saturday afternoon. He also denied that the college management had backed Out Of giving permission to the party to hold the rally. He said thousands of party workers were detained at different places im the state and were prevented from participating in the rally.

Badal said that he would shortly announce the party’s next course of action. The Deputy Commissioner, S.K.Kakkar, and the Senior Superintendent of Police, §.K Shama, while addressing a press conference, said that per mission to hold the rally was de clined in view of a reports ubmited by the Special Protection Group (SPG) which had found the site unsafe for V.P.Singh and Chandra Shekhar. They said that the Akali Dal (Badal) was asked to shift the venue of the rally but the party leaders had declined to do.so

Entry through the main roads 10 the city was sealed while those entering the city through other roads were thoroughly screened. The SGPC chief, while talking to the newsmen, said that the “ban” on the rally had proved the hollow claims of the government that democracy had been restored in the state, He said that the Akalis had scored a“victory” even though they were not allowed to hold the rally. Tohra alleged that party workers were removed from the gurdwaras despite the claim of Beant Singh that the government did not interfere with religion.

The Akali Dal (B) Youth wing chief, Prem Singh Chandumayra, besides Dhindsa and Wadala, also spoke at a congregation before courting arrest.

Kirpal Singh, President, Punjab Janata Morcha, has strongly condemned the “repressive atutude™ of the state government and has asked the Beant Singh government to step down. The secretary general of the party, Gian Chand and its vice president, Om Parkash have also condemned the incident. The police stopped more than 1,000 Akali activists near Ladhowal on the G.T. Road here from proceeding to Jalandhar to take part in the rally.

The Akalis, led by Thekedar Surjan Singh, senior voice-president, and Amarjit Singh Bhatia, vice-president of the party, staged adhama and obstructed vehicular traffic for more than three hours. The Akali workers were, however, let off in the afternoon.

Article extracted from this publication >>  March 19, 1993