Killing of bovines: Shiv Sena blocks traffic at Jagraon Bridge in Ludhiana

The Shiv Sena members gathered on the Jagraon Bridge in Ludhiana around 11.30am and raised slogans against the police for not bringing the culprits behind the killings of bovines to book

Commuters had to contend with traffic jams for the second consecutive day as members of the Shiv Sena blocked traffic on the Jagraon Bridge for an hour on Friday and sought the arrest of those responsible for killing cows and dumping their carcasses at a vacant plot in Jeevan Nagar.

With Shiv Sena members blocking the Jagraon Bridge, in Ludhiana, traffic from the Jalandhar Bypass was diverted to Samrala Chowk to avoid traffic jams. Similarly, traffic coming from Sahnewal was also diverted on Gill Road from Vishwakarma Chowk. Some vehicles were also diverted from Lakkar Bridge due to the killing of bovines. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

The protesters gathered on the Jagraon Bridge around 11.30am and raised slogans against the police for not bringing the culprits to book. Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles were stuck in a jam in areas surrounding Jagraon Bridge.

Alleging police inaction, Punjab Shiv Sena (Bal Thakeray) spokesperson Chandarkant Chadha said that two days had passed since the carcasses had been found in the plot. However, the police did not take any action, apart from lodging an FIR. “Cows are sacred to the Hindus, but someone had deliberately thrown their carcasses in the plot to hurt the community’s sentiments.”

“Today’s protest was symbolic, and only held for an hour. However, if the police do not arrest the accused within two days, protests will erupt across Punjab,” he said.

Detours and diversions

With protesters blocking the Jagraon Bridge, traffic from the Jalandhar Bypass was diverted to Samrala Chowk to avoid traffic jams. Similarly, traffic coming from Sahnewal was also diverted on Gill Road from Vishwakarma Chowk. Some vehicles were also diverted from Lakkar Bridge.

Ashish Arora, a resident of Gill road, said “I was en route to pick up my daughter from school, but was stuck in a jam on Jagraon Bridge. I had to request her teacher to keep an eye on her, till I reached school. Protesting is our right, but protestors should not harass people by blocking roads.”