Tribune News Service

Bhawanigarh (Sangrur), June 1

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi, along with Punjab Congress vice-president Surinderpal Singh Sibia and party workers, gheraoed the police station here on Wednesday to protest the recent police lathi-charge on Dalits.

The gherao lasted for more than an hour and ended with the submission of a memorandum to Bhawanigarh naib tehsildar and Sangrur DSP, demanding action against the policemen responsible for lathi-charge on the Dalits, and the release of all arrested Dalits.

The Congress men gheraoed the police station to protest against the lathi-charge by the Bhawanigarh police on agitating Dalits on May 24 at Balad Kalan village, near here, and seek justice for them.

The Dalits were protesting against auction of 105 bighas of panchayat land of their village, reserved for SCs, terming it as “dummy” auction and seeking entire the 531 bighas reserved land at low rates for all Dalits of the village for joint farming.

Earlier, the Congress people gathered under a tent over 100 yards away from the police station, from where they marched towards the police station, raising slogans against the Badal government and police.