WSN Service
ROPAR: The Ropar district Bar association had decided to boycott the peace march of the administration in protest against the adamant attitude of the Govt in their demand for the transfer of the Deputy Commissioner and police chief.
The association appealed to the residents including village leaders not to participate in the peace march. More than 15 bar associations have decided to observe a week-long strike from Feb 25 in support of the demands of their Ropar colleagues.
According to Shamsher Singh Rai president of the Ropar Bar association the problem started in the first week of January following a fake encounter in which six Sikh youths were shot dead in Morinda. The lawyers decided to set up a seven-member probe mission to get at the truth. The members Mr Megh Raj Giani Rajinder Singh a former MLA Pundit Banwari Lal Mr Harjaspal Singh Mr H.S.Pal and Mr Sarabjit Singh besides Mr Rai himself inspected the site of the encounter. Their second visit to the scene for recording eyewitness accounts was on Jan 13. Three days later all members of the probe mission except Mr Rai were taken into police custody. The police also went to the house of Sarabjit Singh but he was not there. His family was harassed by the police.
On January 19 the bar association decided to boycott courts in protest against the police action. On Jan 23 they met the governor and apprised him of the police high-handedness. The governor reportedly apologized and reprimanded the DC and police chief. But the Bar said a mere apology was not enough.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 1, 1991
