CHANDIGARH : Two persons were killed and 37 injured when security forces opened fired at the volunteers of United Akali Dal led by its convener, Baba Joginder Singh, who was heading towards Punjab Vidhan Sabha building to ‘gherao its building on March 2st. There were 7000 activists of the United Akali Dal, Damdami Taksal and All India Sikh Student Federation who began their March from Sector 17. As the marchers arrived at the barricades near the Haryana M.L.A’s hostel they snapped off the rope of the barricade, threw away the drums, alongside, uprooted the barricade and continued the march. The paramilitary forces found themselves ineffective. This reporter saw many policemen and duty magistrate at the sight running shelter and shelter. The marchers broke the second barricade and about 2000 marchers reached the Vidhan Sabha, a BS.F. Company open fired at the marchers who were still at the second barricade. Two were killed on the spot and more than 30 were injured. Mr. Sukhjinder ‘Singh, Education Minister of Punjab, who along senior police officers was present there to receive the memorandum from marchers ran away in his car. A group of marchers then got hold of Mr. J.B.S. Ohri, D.LG. Security, and tried to drag him into the jeep in which Baba Joginder Singh was leading the marchers. Mr. Obri was saved from further humiliation by the intervention of some senior leaders. The agitators could have easily entered the Punjab Vidhan Sabha building as there was a total confusion among the police forces. The agitators preferred to start a rally in the compound of Punjab Vidhan 2abha. The rally was addressed among brothers by Baba Joginder Singh, A delegation led by Mr. Rani Singh Brahm pura, General Secretary of the United Akali Dal, handed over a memorandum to the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Surjit Singh Barnala in his chamber at the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Addressing the rally Baba Jogi der Singh charged the Punjab Government with tyranny against Sikhs, He said that the Government headed by Barnala was out to destroy the Sikhs, He warned that the Government will have to pay a heavy price for the killing of Sikh youth at Chandigarh and earlier at Nakodar. The gherao of Vidhan Sabha which started at about 10:30 a.m. was lifted at 4:15 p.m.
when police agreed to hand over the bodies of the young men to the leaders of the United Akali Dal. The memorandum demanded that the Sikhs detained in the jail should be immediately released. Work in the Punjab and Haryana Secretariats and the Vidhan Sabha, remained almost suspended as the entire staff kept on watching the scene of the gherao. The memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, charged that Mr. Jagiit Singh Rode had been murdered under a deep-rooted conspiracy in connivance with the Punjab Government. The Punjab Government had on the one hand miserably failed to fulfill the promises made to the people during the elections and on the other hand they are committing atrocities on the Sikhs at the behest of the Union Government. The memorandum demanded that the Sikhs detained in the jails outside of Punjab be released, anti Sikh police officers should be removed and the army men who had rebelled after Blue Star action should be taken back in their jobs. Those killed have been identified as Mr. Balbir Singh of village Kanjala, Distr. Gurdaspur, and Mr. Sukhdev Singh Soni of Ludhiana. The All India Sikh Student Federation gave a call for a black day on March 22nd and most of the shopping centers in the main cities of Punjab remained closed on the call given by Damdami Taksal and All India Sikhs Student Federation.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 28, 1986
