From: dawar@gradient.cis.upenn.edu (Anuj Dawar)
Subject: India - Cut Powers of Police in Punjab, Demand MPs
Organization: University of Pennsylvania
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 12:31:03 GMT


From	: Anuj Dawar
Source	: The Tribune from Chandigarh (India)
Date	: Wed, July 22, 1992
Country	: India

Topics:

* Restrict Activities In Haryana, Punjab Cops told
* Cut Powers Of Police In Punjab, Demand MPs

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* RESTRICT ACTIVITIES IN HARYANA, PUNJAB COPS TOLD

AMBALA, July 13 (Tribune News Service) - The Haryana police has asked its
Punjab counterpart to restrict its activities to Punjab, according to
informed sources.

The Haryana Police has taken this stand following the killing of two young
men and a child by a raiding party of the Punjab police in a "case of
mistaken identity" here yesterday.

The incident evoked spontaneous protest by residents of Dhulkot village who
blocked the GT road and the Ambala-Chandigarh road for about eight hours,
forcing the Ambala police to announce the arrest of one Haryana Police
Sub-Inspector and four Punjab policemen.  The blockade was not lifted even
after the "suspects" were presented before the mob twice.

Irked by the fact that the Haryana police became the target of the people's
anger for the "misdoing" of the Punjab police, the former today asked the
latter not to kill anyone in Haryana unless "you have the legal authority."

The sources said here today that while regretting the unfortunate incident,
the SP, Patiala, had informed the SP, Ambala, Mr. K.P. Singh, that
compensation would be paid to the families of the victims as per the policy
of the Punjab Government for such cases.

The bodies of Jaswinder Singh, his three-year-old son, Harvinder, and his
wife's brother, Jasbir Singh, were taken out in a procession from the civil
hospital to Dhulkot village.  Mourners raised slogans against the Haryana
police.  They were carrying placards which read: "Haryana police ka suhasik
karnama, teen saal ka ugarvadi maar giraya."

At various important road junctions in the town, the mourners were addressed
by leaders of various parties who condemned the police brutality.  Around 8
pm, the funeral procession reached Dhulkot.  While the bodies of Jaswinder
and Jasbir were kept on ice slabs in a tractor-trailor, that of Harvinder
was carried by his uncle Devinder Singh in his arms.

The bodies were cremated at a common pyre amidst touching scenes.  The
condition of Mrs. Satinder Kaur, who lost her husband, her only son and a
brother within seconds for no fault of hers, could not be described.

The President of the Akali Dal (Mann), Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann, who was
present at the crematorium, described the incident as "part of the
conspiracy hatched by the Punjab Chief Minister. Mr. Beant Singh and the
Punjab DGP, Mr. K.P.S. Gill, to eliminate the Sikh youth by December."

He demanded an enquiry by the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court
into the incident.

Mr. Mann said he was amazed at the amount of kinship shown by the Hindus of
the area with the Sikhs.  "This proves that it is the government which is
stoking fires of communalism," he alleged.

The Akali leader said the Prime Minister should "throw out" Mr. Beant Singh,
Mr.  Bhajan Lal and Mr. Gill "to show some semblance of a policy on Punjab."

Mr. Devinder Singh, elder brother of Jaswinder Singh, said the CBI should
enquire into the incident because the Haryana police had lost credibility.
The suspects had not yet been formally arrested despite the earlier
assertions by the police yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Ambala Bar Association today boycotted the courts in protest
against the incident.

* CUT POWERS OF POLICE IN PUNJAB, DEMAND MPs

NEW DELHI, July 15 (UNI) - Members from all sides in the Lok Sabha today
demanded curtailment of the special powers of the police in Punjab citing
cases of excesses and misuse of power.

Congress member Jagmeet Singh Brar raised the matter during zero hour
recalling the killing of three persons, including a child, recently in
Ambala.  He said about 15 days earlier, CRPF men had raped the wife of a
rickshawpuller.

Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan (JD) and Mr. Madan Lal Khurana (BJP) supported Mr.
Brar, saying that the situation in the state had been worsening and a major
cause of it was wanton killing of innocent people by security men.  Mr.
Khurana said BJP workers were fired at by security guards of a minister on
July 4 near Kot Kupura police station.

Mr. Khurana said the BJP workers were going to meet the minister when they
were sprayed with bullets.  Six workers were injured and one of them later
succumbed to his injuries, he said.

Mr. Khurana wanted a statement from the Home Minister on the misuse of power
by the police in the state.  Mr. Somnath Chatterjee (CPM) said the situation
had gone to the extent that people were openly denouncing the Rajiv-Longowal
accord.  His party colleague Nirmal Kanti Chatterjee said there was
oppression both by the militants and the administration.

Mrs. Geeta Mukherjee (CPI) said the Government of India itself had been
taking steps which were making the people anti-India.  "You have no package,
you have no administration, you are misadministration," she said.

Former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar also called it "police raj" in Punjab.
"It is not a lokpriya but parlokpriya government ruling in that state," he
said.
 
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