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Haryana sarpanches face police batons, water cannons in Panchkula
Several protesters were also injured as police tried to stop members of the Haryana Sarpanches’ Association from marching towards chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s residence in Chandigarh
At least 25 cops were injured after sarpanches from Haryana pelted them with stones in response to water cannons and lathicharge at the Housing Board Chowk near the Chandigarh-Panchkula border on Wednesday during a protest against the state government’s e-tendering policy for development works in rural areas.
Several protesters were also injured as police tried to stop members of the Haryana Sarpanches’ Association from marching towards chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s residence in Chandigarh.
Traffic snarls were the order of the day, as the Chandigarh-Panchkula road, a major traffic lifeline, was barricaded by police to stall the protesters.
Association president Ranbir Samain claimed that nearly 200 protesters received minor injuries, while one suffered a fracture in the arm and another in the leg. One village representative was critical and shifted to PGIMER, he added.
After the recently held panchayat polls in Haryana, the newly elected village heads have been protesting against the e-tendering system, claiming that it will curtail their spending powers. Under the e-tendering system, village panchayats can execute works up to ₹2 lakh on their own, but projects of higher value have to be carried out through e-tendering, which the government states will bring about transparency.
On Monday, a meeting on the issue between the Haryana government and the village heads had failed to find any resolution, following which the protesters decided to launch an indefinite protest.
“MLAs do not bother about villages. Hence, we want more powers for panchayats so that development works can be completed. The government wants all major works that cost ₹1 crore to be done through e-tendering. It will increase the interference of bureaucrats,” Samain said.
Apart from this, he said the “right to recall” rule must apply to the MPs and MLAs first, and not only to sarpanches. Besides, the role of online attendance of MGNREGA was also creating problems at many places due to poor network.
Politicians criticise police action
Criticising police for the lathicharge on the protesters, AAP leader Anurag Danda said, “We condemn this dictatorial attitude of the Haryana government. This is not an attack on village heads but on villagers who elected their representatives.”
Congress leader and AICC general secretary Kumari Selja said, “The barbaric act of the Haryana government is highly condemnable. The government must not have used force and should adhere to their demands.”
FIR lodged against protesters
Meanwhile, police have lodged an FIR against the protesters for pelting the police forces with stones. As per the FIR, senior police officials went to the spot to ask protesters to vacate the road, as it was causing trouble to commuters. But they started hurling stones, injuring 25 policemen and a few sarpanches were also injured.
The case has been registered under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 332, 353, 325, 186, 188 and 283 of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector-14 police station.
