Zira liquor factory: Police start evicting protesters, employees enter factory

Tension prevailed around Malbros International Private Limited, an alcohol-making unit at Mansurwal village of Zira assembly segment in Ferozepur on Sunday after police started forcefully evicting the protesters, detaining several, following Punjab and Haryana high court orders.

Ferozepur: Tension prevailed around Malbros International Private Limited, an alcohol-making unit at Mansurwal village of Zira assembly segment in Ferozepur on Sunday after police started forcefully evicting the protesters, detaining several, following Punjab and Haryana high court orders. The factory has been lying shut for 146 days after protesters, many of them villagers from the surrounding areas, laid siege at the factory main gate, blaming the unit for polluting the environment, including groundwater, leading to low yield from the fields.

The unit’s chief managing director confirmed that his employees have been granted access to the factory. (HT photo)

On November 22, the high court asked the Punjab government to deposit ₹15 cr with the registry, which the government did. The court had also issued a show cause notice of contempt against the additional chief secretary (home), additional director general of police (law and order), the deputy commissioner, Ferozepur, and the senior superintendent of police, Ferozepur, for failure in implementing the directions and guidelines issued by Supreme Court and high court concerning protests. The next date of the hearing is December 20.

On Sunday, amid tense moments, two days before the hearing at Punjab and Haryana high court, the factory was opened for its workers, who are readying the unit to start operations.

The police action comes less than 24 hours after Punjab cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal had to return empty-handed from the spot, failing to convince the protesters to lift the blockade, and the administration also exhausted all avenues for a peaceful eviction from the site.

The unit’s chief managing director confirmed that his employees have been granted access to the factory.

“Even though protest at the main gate of the factory is still going on, the local administration has facilitated us with an alternative route to access the unit to resume operations. We are working on calling our entire staff and taking the required measures to start the functioning. We will be fully functional within 24 hours,” said Pawan Bansal, chief managing director of the factory.

Minor scuffles break out with police

A heavy police force, including 45 executive magistrates and around 2,000 policemen, was deployed to deal with any eventuality.

“More than 45 executive magistrates had been put on duty, besides 2,000 policemen are at the site to deal with any eventuality. Special checkpoints have been set up on all roads leading to Zira, to stop the entry of miscreants, if any,” disclosed an official privy with the process to implement high court orders.

Several protestors were detained for blocking police vehicles.

“In the wee hours of Sunday morning, police teams raided the houses of various farm leaders and forcefully nabbed three of their leaders including Balraj Singh, Fateh Singh and Jagsir Singh,” said Sandeep Singh, who was part of the 11-member committee, which met Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday.

“The tent about a kilometre away from the factory gate has been uprooted, and more than 150 protesters, including women, have been detained by the police,” Sandeep Singh added.

Meanwhile, Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Kanwardeep Kaur said the police were committed to implementing high court orders.

“We are committed to implementing the orders of the high court and also ensuring that there is no disturbance to the entry and exit of the staff of the liquor factory. So far, we have booked 45 persons by name and besides 200-250 other unidentified persons under sections 153-A, 283, 268, 341, 143, 144, 145, 186, 188, 148, 149 of the IPC, sections 25, 27 of the arms act and section 3 of the prevention damage to public property act 1984. We have detained about 150 persons, who obstructed police movement illegally,” the SSP added.

“Everything at the protest site and also in the 1km radius of the protest site is peaceful,” she said, adding that the situation was completely under control.

Guru Granth Sahib at protest site hampering eviction

An official privy to police action said that the protesters had started the Akhand Path of ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ at the protest site, so the police were avoiding direct confrontation with them.

In the meantime, Executive Magistrate, Zira, has issued a notice to the sarpanch of village Ratul, Gurdwara head granthi and members of Malbros Sangarsh Committee that the Guru Granth Sahib has been placed in the open, outside the factory, with no security arrangements. “Being in the open and amid the movement of the public, anti-social elements might take advantage of the situation and try to disturb the peace.

“Guru Granth sahib should be taken to Gurdwara safely, otherwise in case of any untoward incident, it will be your responsibility,” the notice read.

“Efforts are on to contact SGPC so that they can send their representatives to respectfully shift Guru Granth Sahib from the protest site so that police may further get the spot vacated. Around 100-odd protesters are sitting there as of now,” added an official who did not wish to be named.

Last night too, Ferozepur police had booked 14 persons by name, besides booking 100-125 unidentified persons, under sections 283, 353, 186, 341, 188, 148, 149 of the IPC 1860 and section 8B of the National Highway Act. Various farm unions, including Bhartiya Kisan Union (Qadian), Harmit Singh Qadian, BKU (Rajewal) leader Balbir Singh Rajewal and BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) openly condemned the police’s action and announced that they would reach the venue at Zira on Monday by crossing all checkpoints to join the protest.

It is pertinent to mention here that on November 22, the court of Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj ordered the government to deposit ₹15 cr in the registry, which the government did. Along with this, a committee headed by justice RK Nehru (retd) has been set up to examine losses incurred by the firm and asked to submit its report within two months.

Police constable dies of heart attack

A constable of Punjab Police on duty at Zira Liquor factory died of a fatal heart attack on Saturday night.

SSP Kanwardeep Kaur confirmed that constable Hartek Singh passed away while on duty.

“We have extended a help of ₹ 1 lakh to the family of the deceased,” she added.