Chandigarh Police used tear gas and water cannons on Saturday to disperse protesters of the Quami Insaaf Morcha who were marching from Mohali towards the Governor House in Chandigarh to demand the release of long-incarcerated Sikh prisoners.
Some protesters were seen standing on overturned barricades and confronting the water cannons, while one or two were seen carrying lathis and attempting to cross the police barricading. “We have never broken barricades. We are ready to cooperate with the police, but unnecessary barricading is creating tension and forcing us into a situation we do not want. Our main demand is the release of detained Sikhs. Dhami also pointed to the continued uncertainty over the commutation of Rajoana’s death sentence despite observations by the Supreme Court.
Several photos and videos from city’s Sector 51/52 dividing road showed police firing tear gas shells and using water cannons as protesters gathered behind barricades. At present, we are also demanding 10 days of parole for one of them so that he can meet his mother, who has been seriously ill and bedridden for a long time,” he said while talking to news agency ANI.
Bapu Gurcharan Singh, father of Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is serving a life sentence for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, said the march was intended to be peaceful.
