Bains brothers arrested again
Friday, 15/05/2015
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/
Chandigarh : Independent MLAs from Ludhiana Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjit Singh Bains were today arrested by the Nawanshahr police after they launched their “satyagraha” against the sand mafia operating in Ropar and Nawanshahr districts.
The two MLAs were arrested for the second time by the police ever since they launched their campaign against illegal sand mining in the state. They have been openly taking names of top functionaries in the state government, saying they had been allegedly aiding the sand mafia. They were earlier arrested when they launched “satyagraha” in Chuharwal near Ludhiana on April 17. They were released on April 30.
The brothers have formed a “Team Insaaf” and reached Ropar along with their supporters this morning.
While Balwinder Bains was to address a press conference, Simarjit Bains reached a mining site in Rolmajra along with his supporters in cars and tempos to protest the “cartelisation” of sand mining. As his supporters excavated the sand from the quarry and started lifting it in a trailer, the Ropar police, led by Superintendent of Police HS Hundal, and Nawanshahr police, led by Superintendent of Police Dilbag Singh clamped down on them and arrested the two MLAs along with 25 supporters.
The protesters were taken to the Pajjewal police station, where a case under Sections 353, 186, 379, 120 B, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC and Section 21 of the Punjab Mines and Minor Minerals Act has been registered against them.
Talking to The Tribune, prior to the protest, Simarjit Singh Bains criticised the government for its inability to bring down sand prices and for turning a blind eye to the “cartelisation” of mining in Punjab. “People are fed up because of high sand prices and are not being allowed to take sand even from their private land,” he said.
