The Tribune, January 2, 2001
12 injured in clash with police
From Our Correspondent
HISAR, Jan 1 - As many as 12 persons, including three policemen and four women, were seriously injured in a clash between the police and protesters at the Uklana Chowk on the Hisar-Chandigarh highway, 45 km from here, yesterday.
A police constable, Mr Ramphal and four women were admitted to the local Civil Hospital while the others were admitted to Uklana hospital.
The residents of Uklana and nearby villages had given a call for a dharna on the crossing today in protest against the failure of the district police to locate Mr Bhale Ram, who has been missing under mysterious circumstances since October 31.
When hundreds of residents, including a large number of women, proceeded towards the crossing from Uklana in the morning, the police tried to stop them. The angry mob started pelting stones at the policemen after which the police restored to a lathi charge and dispersed the protesters.
After some time the mob again gathered in a nearby school and reached the crossing. This continued for over four hours and there were long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road.
The protesters were demanding the immediate location of Mr Bhale Ram. They alleged that he had been kidnapped by some influential persons and the police was trying to save them. They alleged that though he had been missing for the past two months but the police had failed to find any clue to him.
Later in the evening Mr Anurag Rastogi, Deputy Commissioner, and Mr Raj Pal Singh, Superintendent of Police, reached the site and assured the protesters that the matter would be resolved in the next 10 days. They also assured them that the case would be transferred to Mr Jagdish Nagar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, for further investigation.
After the assurance the protesters lifted the dharna.
|
