Amritsar With the restoration/renovation of the Jallianwala Bagh sparking a controversy, the administration has imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in and outside the memorial. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP-city) Parminder Singh Bhandal issued these orders on Wednesday, imposing restrictions on gathering of five or more people for protesting in and outside the historic site for two months. Since the inauguration, family members of those massacred in 1919 have been protesting, claiming that ‘history has been erased’.
“It has come to my attention that in protest against the renovation of the Jallianwala, Bagh organisations have been planing to launch protests, sit-ins, rallies and marches. There is a historic memorial of martyrs in Jallianwala Bagh and holding protest rallies is not right there,” the order reads. It adds, “I, Parminder Singh Bhandal, using my rights under Section 144 of CrPC 1973, restrict the organisation of protest rallies, sit-ins, holding meetings, and assembly of five or more people in and outside Jallianwala Bagh. The order will remain in force till November 6.”
With the imposition of the Section 144 itself creating another controversy, an Amritsar police spokesperson said that the order stood withdrawn. Till the filing of this report, however, no official written police communication on withdrawing the order was available.