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Ludhiana: Bar body stages protest after lawyer threatened
According to District Bar Association representatives, advocate Harjas Singh Gill, who practises at the Ludhiana District Courts, was intercepted by six armed men near Bansal Market in Sarabha Nagar on the night of July 27
The legal fraternity in Ludhiana staged a strong protest on Monday, observing a ‘No Work’ day in response to alleged police inaction following a death threat issued to advocate Harjas Singh Gill by the brother of district youth president of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Jawaddi. The protest, led by the District Bar Association (DBA), also received political backing from Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who demanded immediate registration of an FIR and arrest of the accused.
According to DBA representatives, advocate Harjas Singh Gill, who practises at the Ludhiana District Courts, was intercepted by six armed men near Bansal Market in Sarabha Nagar on the night of July 27. Gill alleged that the accused pointed a loaded pistol at him while the others vandalised his car and openly threatened to kill him.
Gill claimed that the attackers have links to the ruling party and are using their political influence to evade arrest. Despite submitting an online complaint, he said the police have neither registered an FIR nor begun an investigation.
DBA president Vipin Saggar condemned the incident and the lack of police response, calling it a “serious failure of law enforcement.” He said the legal community is feeling increasingly insecure and warned that the protest would intensify if immediate action is not taken. Saggar further announced that the ‘No Work’ agitation would continue into Tuesday unless the FIR is registered against the accused.
The association also voiced deep concern over a recent tragic incident in which a young lawyer died of gunshot injuries, adding to the prevailing sense of fear among advocates.
Calls have been made to bar associations across Punjab to join in a statewide protest until the demands are met and justice is delivered.
Extending his full support to the protesting lawyers, Punjab Congress chief Raja Warring called the incident “unacceptable” and accused leaders of the ruling party of misusing their influence to shield the guilty. He warned that the Congress party would not remain silent and would launch protests if the police failed to act swiftly. “The Congress will not tolerate political protection of criminals,” he said.
On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party’s district youth president MP Jawaddi stated that the incident occurred around 7 to 8 days ago and involved a verbal altercation among some youths.
He claimed that no one pulled out a pistol during the confrontation. Moreover, the complainant, advocate Harjas Singh Gill, filed the complaint with the police two or three days after the alleged incident. “If someone had truly faced a threat with a pistol, they would have immediately approached the police,” he added.
He further said that the police visited the scene and checked the CCTV footage, which only shows a verbal argument and nothing more. “There is an attempt to tarnish my image. Raja Warring is trying to give this incident a political colour,” he said. “I will file a complaint with the police commissioner on Tuesday and also initiate a defamation case.”
