Police thwart Sikh protesters’ march from Sohana Chowk to Punjab Raj Bhawan

Five days after Mohali police cleared the Sohana Chowk blockade by supporters of Waris Punjab De chief and radical Sikh leader Amritpal Singh, cops were once again on their toes after a few Sikh protesters gathered at the site and tried to march towards Punjab Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh on Sunday.

According to police, around 15 protesters arrived outside Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan after circulation of a message on social media to gather there on Sunday in support of Amritpal.

Heavy police force was deployed at the intersection to avoid a repeat of the three-day blockade last week that had thrown traffic on the busy Airport Road out of gear, causing harassment to commuters and spreading panic among residents.

Senior police officers, including three SP-rank officers, along with DSPs, remained present at the chowk to monitor the situation.

A few Sikh protesters, who refused to budge despite numerous police requests and remained adamant to march towards Raj Bhawan, exchanged heated arguments with cops and were eventually detained.

Even after the site was cleared, Mohali police, along with Punjab Police Commandos, stood guard to ensure law and order.

9 held for Sohana Chowk blockade released

Meanwhile, nine people, including two women, who were arrested as a preventive measure while clearing the Sohana Chowk blockade on March 21, have been released by Mohali police.

“We had already released seven people and the remaining two were released on Sunday,” said Mohali SSP Sandeep Garg.

Notably 197 of the total 353 people taken into preventive custody have been released by Punjab Police across the state following directions of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

Five cops, including a superintendent of police, were injured during the struggle to remove the protesters who had blocked the Sohana Chowk for three days from March 18 to 20. A total of 24 people were booked for rioting, assaulting public servants on duty and unlawful assembly.

Police had also seized a cache of weapons, including swords, spears, axes, farm tools and lathis, that the agitators had been brazenly brandishing at the chowk since the Punjab Police launched an operation against Amritpal and his supporters on March 18.