Dalit protesters canecharged
Tribune Reporters
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030916/cth1.htm


Chandigarh, September 15
Several persons, including two women were injured when the police
cane-charged stone pelting and traffic blocking protesters agitating
against police atrocities on a Dalit youth, here this morning.

The clash took place in Sector 25, opposite the Prayas building, in
Sector 38 on Dakshin Marg, when a mob started pelting stone on a PCR
gypsy. The mob had blocked traffic at two places - on the road
dividing Sectors 25 and 38 and the other on the road dividing Sectors
24 and 25 — for over an hour. The protesters also used sewer pipe as
blockades.

The protesters accused the police of using force on the protesters
marching to the Administrator to seek action against sub-inspectors
Neeraj Sarna and Narinder Patial for allegedly torturing Ashok Kumar,
a Dalit, on August 15.

The police arrested five protesters for rioting and causing
obstructions to traffic. The police picked five women protesters and
later, released them from Sector 11 police station.

Mr Samay Singh, an agitator, while talking to Chandigarh Tribune
alleged that the police used force on peaceful protesters. ``The
police even slapped women protestors'', claimed Mr Samay Singh and
added, ``no women cops were present when our women were taken to the
police station".

The police said the marchers, including children, allegedly pelted
stones on the police vehicles in the morning. Reinforcement was
called. After regrouping the police resorted to a "mild cane charge."

Later, senior police officials, including DSPs Mr S.S Randhawa and Mr
S.C. Sagar, also reached the spot.

Protesters alleged Rinu and Bala of Sector 25 Kumhar Colony were
among the injured.

The police dissuaded protesters from marching to the Sector 22 Nehru
Park. A number of protesters were also detained at Sector 19 police
station. The police denied this statement.

The marchers, being supported by Dalit bodies like the Valmiki Jan
Chetna Parishad, Valmiki Sabha, Adi Dharam Samaj and Rishi Dharam
Samaj, proceeded to Matka Chowk to meet the Administrator Justice O.
P. Verma. They were not allowed to move on.

The protesters burnt an effigy of the Chandigarh Police and
Administration at Matka Chowk. Later a delegation of five persons was
allowed to hand over a memorandum to the Administrator.

Dharamvir from Sector 56, Ranjeet and Shiv Kumar from Sector 24,
Vikas from Sector 38 (West) and Vijay Pal from Daddu Majra were
arrested and later released on bail for allegedly rioting and causing
obstruction to traffic.

One of the leaders of the protesters Ghulab Singh was booked by the
Sector 39 police station. All of them have been booked for rioting
and causing hindrance to the flow of vehicles.

The memorandum given to the Administrator has demanded justice from
the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani
against the alleged atrocities committed on Ashok Kumar on August 15
by the two sub-inspectors.

Ashok Kumar had earlier alleged that he was tortured by the two to
avenge his efforts to get Sub Inspector Gurmukh Singh trapped by the
CBI in a corruption case. Ashok Kumar was a registered bad character
in police records, the police said.

The delegation also met the Inspector General of Police, Mr Rajesh
Kumar to demand a fresh inquiry and rejected the one being conducted
by DSP S. S. Randhawa for a month.

The SSP, Mr Gaurav Yadav, said that Mr Randhawa had recorded several
statements but the complainant had not joined the inquiry.

2.

83 lakh disbursed for toilets
Our Correspondent

Moga, September 15
A slum of Rs 83.38 lakh has been distributed to 10 villages under the
Rajiv Gandhi Pendu Jat Sehat Kalyan Yojna through IRDP to construct
latrines for 1,962 Scheduled Caste families and other poorer sections
in the rural areas in the district. This was stated by Mr C. Ramesh
Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, here today.

Giving details of the scheme, the Deputy Commissioner said this
ambitious project would be taken up in the whole district, but during
the current financial year, in first phase, it would be restricted to
following categories; villages where panchayats had been elected
unanimously, villages with SC sarpanches, villages with women
sarpanches, villages with religious or historic importance, villages
of martyrs, sportsmen of eminence or villages with 100 per cent SC
population.

The Deputy Commissioner further said that a sum of Rs 5,200 and Rs
5,900 would be spent on each unit in villages without water logging
and water-logged, respectively. As many as Rs 80,000 would be spent
where a six unit block was developed. Each family, except BPL
families, would have to contribute Rs 1,000 per unit. Panchayats of
villages with annual income of more than 1 lakh would contribute Rs
1,000- per unit, he added.