Punjab bandh evokes mixed response; curfew relaxed in Ludhiana

December 07, 2009 07:06 pm | Updated December 17, 2016 05:12 am IST - Chandigarh

Passers by passing through a cerfew bound area on the streets of Ludhiana on Monday, December 07 2009. An indefinite cerfew clamped the industrial town for the fourth day following the recent violence bringing life to a halt. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

Passers by passing through a cerfew bound area on the streets of Ludhiana on Monday, December 07 2009. An indefinite cerfew clamped the industrial town for the fourth day following the recent violence bringing life to a halt. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

The Punjab bandh call given by some radical Sikh organisations on Monday to protest December 5th violence at Ludhiana in which one person was killed evoked mixed response.

Rail and road traffic movement remained normal across the State, even as authorities relaxed curfew in several areas in the violence-hit industrial town.

The Ludhiana district administration decided to give relaxation in curfew from 5 pm to 8 pm in the jurisdictions of three police stations of Model Town, Sarabha Nagar and Division No 5, Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, Vikas Garg said.

He said to prevent any fresh outbreak of violence, the administration had imposed curfew under 18 police stations of the industrial town as a precautionary measure.

Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the Home portfolio, will make a statement in the State assembly here onTuesday, on last week’s violence at Ludhiana.

Shops, commercial establishments and educational institutions remained closed in many parts of the State, officials said adding that in some areas, including Bathinda and Mandi Gobindgarh the life was normal.

The bandh remained peaceful, as no untoward incident was reported from any part of the state, officials said here adding that the rail and road traffic was plying normally.

Ludhiana wore a deserted look today in response to the Bandh as the town’s entry points were sealed by the police.

Police and paramilitary forces also conducted a flag march in Ludhiana, which faced violence for two successive days from Friday last.

Meanwhile, apprehending violence few passengers travelled in state-owned and private buses in the state, sources said adding that the flow of private vehicles, including cars, on the national highways was normal.

Reports of complete shut down of shops, schools and other commercial institutions was received from Amritsar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Phagwara, Patiala and Jalandhar.

At Jalandhar, Patiala, Faridkot, Bathinda and Batala members owing allegiance to various Sikh organisations, including Sikh Students Federation (SSF) forced several shop owners to pull down the shutters, reports reaching here said.

In Jalandhar at Milap Chowk, a minor scuffle broke between police personnel and Sikhs, who while brandishing swords forced shop to close their shops, officials said here adding that no one was injured.

Meanwhile, reiterating his Government’s resolve to ensure law and order, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that the situation was under total control in Punjab.

“The Government is keeping a close tab on the situation and monitoring it closely,” Badal told reporters outside the state assembly before commencement of its brief winter session here.

Describing the killing of a person in a clash between some Sikhs owing allegiance to radical organisations, including Damdami Taksal on Saturday at Ludhiana as “unfortunate”, he asserted that situation was under total control.

Badal also rejected demand of the main opposition Congress seeking imposition of the President’s rule in the State for the government’s alleged failure to maintain law and order.

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