SHO Suffers Burns As Punjab Roadways Staff Stir Turns Violent

Chandigarh: Tempers ran high and chaos prevailed as the Punjab police and the striking contractual employees of the Punjab roadways and the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) clashed in Dhuri town of Punjab’s Sangrur district Friday.

Even as passengers were left in lurch throughout the day across the state, the striking staff who protested against the kilometre scheme of the state government went on strike and their protest turned violent in Dhuri when police attempted to thwart their stir.

According to information, while over two dozen protesters were arrested, the station house officer (SHO) of the Dhuri, Jasvir Singh, suffered burns when his uniform which was drenched with petrol sprinkled by the protesters caught fire during the clash. He was rushed to hospital where his condition was said to be stable.

Clash also ensued as the police teams also attempted to thwart some protesters who had climbed atop buses and threatened to immolate themselves. There were reports that some of the protesters allegedly sprinkled petrol on the cops anguished over the detention of their leaders late last night.

The protesters held they were also angered over the brutal police lathi-charge to forcibly stop them from staging the protest.

CONG SLAMS POLICE `BRUTALITY’

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring expressed his party’s solidarity with the protesting staff of the Punjab Roadways.

He held that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was following into the footsteps of the Akali Dal government, which had hijacked the public transport system for the personal benefit of its leaders.

He condemned the brutal lathicharge on the staff by the Punjab police at the behest of the government.

The PCC president also strongly condemned the manhandling of some journalists in Sangrur, where they were covering the protests by the Roadways employees.