Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 5

It took over 45 minutes for a local doctor, Avtar Singh, to cover a one-and-a-half-kilometer distance from his work place, Fortis Hospital, to his residence, located behind the Punjab Cricket Stadium at Phase IX, here.

Reason: The heavy deployment of police around the stadium who were insensitive to the fact that a large residential area is located in the vicinity.

Dr Avtar Singh, a super specialist of pain management, was seen virtually in pains while convincing more than 15 policemen, deputed at four different nakas that he was going home. His neighbours, including Satish Kumar Saini, Raghubir Singh Sandhu and Inderjit Singh Sila were stopped at a police check point near the Fortis Chowk at the same time for the same reason. They were seen experiencing the same inconvenience and harassment.

“They (the police) stop us at every naka and start asking for special passes. The unimaginative local police did not issue us any special pass this time and left us here to suffer”, said Dr Avtar Singh, evidently miffed with the behaviour of the policemen.

He alleged that a policeman had also hit his swanky car with his ‘lathi’ at a naka today.

“I have to visit the hospital several times due to emergency situations. It is very difficult to explain these people (policemen) about the reasons for my repeated visits”, said Dr Avtar Singh.

The locality in question houses nearly 500 families and all will be at the receiving end for the next four days, especially with Diwali round the corner.

“Diwali is only a few days away and we are virtually cordoned off by the security personnel”, says Satish Kumar, another resident of the locality who is also the president of the Citizens Welfare Forum, Mohali.

“We are being asked to show special passes, which the local police have not issued us this time, to enter our locality. The Test match has virtually ruined the entire pre-Divali festivities for us”, said Saini and other residents of the area.

In the past, the Mohali police used to issue special passes to the residents. Terming the issuance of passes as a mere formality, the residents claimed that the policemen were so ‘unprofessional’ and suspicious that they did not trust the voter cards/identity cards or other such documents, but only the passes which they issued without verification of the residents.

“Our guests can’t visit our houses to exchange Diwali wishes, nor can we go to their houses because of the persistent ‘quizzing’ by the policemen”, said Raghubir Singh Sandhu, an elderly resident.

Jaspal Singh is also a worried man today as his son’s marriage is scheduled to take place after two days. “Our guests are bound to suffer and face a lot of inconvenience due to security arrangements”, he said. He would have to depute his acquaintances at every naka to facilitate the entry of his guests, he further added.

Behaviour of policemen rude, normal life affected: Residents

Usually, people go to priests to know about the auspicious time for organising family functions. We first go to the PCA Stadium to know the schedule of cricket matches, then decide the dates of our functions. — Inderjit Singh Sila

Noisy spectators, garbage strewn around the area after matches, virtual ban on parking of vehicles in front of houses located adjacent to the stadium wall and anti-social activities are other problems we face when the matches are played here. — Lakhmir Singh

School buses are forced to change their route. Parents and school-going children are facing a lot of inconvenience. Children are forced to travel long distances due to a ban on the entry of vehicles here. — Manpreet Kaur

Policemen are very rude to us. They treat us like criminals as if going to our residences is like committing a crime. — GS Panesar

It is a curfew-like situation here as no rehriwala, vendor, school van or even safai karamchari can enter the locality. — Raghubir Singh Sandhu