Badal October 4:
As the assembly elections are drawing closer in Punjab, Badal, the native village of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, is in the spotlight not only due to the increasing political activity but also on account of the growing number of protests taking place here. Ahead of the polls, the CM's village has emerged as the favourite destination among protesters.
While the village lies fortified since the past several months, the protesters have been keeping the cops on their toes. Therefore, various unions, particularly those of unemployed youth or non-regular employees, have been making a beeline to the village, in a last ditch effort to get their demands approved. Among the organisations that have already staged protests are those of unemployed youth demanding jobs, contractual employees seeking regularisation of their services and employees demanding hike in emoluments. Besides, anganwadi workers and landless khet mazdoor unions are in row to take their turn to make headway to Badal village to register their anguish.
Though stopping the protesters at nakas put up on the entry of Badal village was a routine for the police, the police was taken by surprise when several of them reached near Badal's house. A special team from Lambi, led by a DSP and a SHO, reached the village and bundled the protesters in jeeps. Harpreet Singh, state president of the protesting Punjab Land Record Society, accused the policemen of misbehaving with the women protesters, though Lambi DSP Bhupinder Singh denied the allegations.
As the assembly elections are drawing closer in Punjab, Badal, the native village of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, is in the spotlight not only due to the increasing political activity but also on account of the growing number of protests taking place here. Ahead of the polls, the CM's village has emerged as the favourite destination among protesters.
While the village lies fortified since the past several months, the protesters have been keeping the cops on their toes. Therefore, various unions, particularly those of unemployed youth or non-regular employees, have been making a beeline to the village, in a last ditch effort to get their demands approved. Among the organisations that have already staged protests are those of unemployed youth demanding jobs, contractual employees seeking regularisation of their services and employees demanding hike in emoluments. Besides, anganwadi workers and landless khet mazdoor unions are in row to take their turn to make headway to Badal village to register their anguish.
Though stopping the protesters at nakas put up on the entry of Badal village was a routine for the police, the police was taken by surprise when several of them reached near Badal's house. A special team from Lambi, led by a DSP and a SHO, reached the village and bundled the protesters in jeeps. Harpreet Singh, state president of the protesting Punjab Land Record Society, accused the policemen of misbehaving with the women protesters, though Lambi DSP Bhupinder Singh denied the allegations.
