A delegation of Punjab Congress MPs on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), seeking its immediate intervention into alleged police excesses against sanitation workers during a protest in Barnala last week.
Event Context
Team Analysis
The Congress delegation, comprising MPs Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who is also Punjab Congress president, Dr Amar Singh, Dr Dharamvir Gandhi and Gurjeet Singh Aujla, said that instead of addressing the grievances of the protesting workers, the district administration and police resorted to force, leaving several sanitation workers injured.
Warring held chief minister Bhagwant Mann responsible for the police action, saying he also heads the home department.
The delegation urged the NCSC to examine the matter under its constitutional mandate, seek a report from the Punjab government and the Barnala district administration, order an impartial inquiry into the incident, fix accountability, and recommend measures to safeguard the rights of the affected workers.
Warring said that the party will move the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking action against the guilty police personnel responsible for the alleged excesses and justice for the sanitation workers.
Meanwhile, the Congress’ Scheduled Caste wing staged a protest in Sangrur on Tuesday and marched towards the chief minister’s residence against the police action. The protest was led by District Congress president Jagdev Gaga and SC wing chairman Shaktijit Singh.
BJP stands with workers: Dhillon
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon on Tuesday visited the injured sanitation workers in Barnala and said the party has already met with the governor and sought strict action against the police officials involved.
“The BJP stands with the sanitation workers on every front. The injured workers should be compensated, and strict action should be taken against the officers involved,” Dhillon said.
Calling Barnala his home city, Dhillon said its people had elected him MLA twice. “The responsibility entrusted to me by the BJP high command is a crown placed on the heads of the people of Barnala. We will honour it by forming a BJP government in Punjab in 2027,” he said, while addressing a gathering along with newly-appointed district president Narinder Garg.
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On July 22, police resorted to a lathicharge in Barnala to disperse protesting sanitation workers after they allegedly tried to block a garbage clean-up drive by the district administration. While the police maintained that force was used after the protesters turned violent, the workers accused the police of excessive force, alleging that even women protesters were beaten up with canes. The clash left 22 people injured, including 18 sanitation workers and four police personnel. Sanitation workers in Barnala had been on strike since July 8 to demand regular job contracts for outsourced staff, salary increases, and the restoration of the old pension scheme.
Following the incident, the state government suspended Barnala DSP Satvir Singh, while Barnala City-1 station house officer (SHO) Lakhwinder Singh was transferred to the district police lines.
Addressed to NCSC chairman Kishor Makwana, the memorandum alleged that sanitation workers were subjected to excessive police force, including a baton charge, while peacefully protesting for their “legitimate rights and demands.”
