Capt extends support to agitating Suwidha employees

Tuesday, 01/11/2016

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=167444&boxid=64432&uid=&dat=2016-11-01

Chandigarh : As their protest dharna entered its 55th day on Monday, the agitating Suwidha employees got a shot in their arm with Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh coming out in their support.

In a press statement issued here, Captain Amarinder demanded immediate withdrawal of false cases against Suwidha employees who were behind bars since October 14, when they were lathi-charged and booked under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code in a police crackdown in Muktsar.

“If the state government fails to cancel the cases filed against the peacefully protesting employees of the Punjab State Suwidha Employees’ Union, then the Congress will also come out on the streets to join the agitation,” warned Captain Amarinder.

Expressing anguish at the fact that the families of the jailed Suwidha employees had to spend a dark Diwali, out on the road, because of the apathy of the state government, Captain Amarinder said such blatant injustice to the common people of Punjab could not be ignored.

The Suwidha employees are protesting against the illegal privatisation of the organisation, which Captain Amarinder said was obviously a cover-up for the massive bungling of funds that had been taking place under the patronage of ruling party leaders. By transferring the employees’ services to private players instead of acceding to their demand for regularisation, the state government had been trying to push its illogical and unplanned Punjab Sewa Kendra scheme in what appeared to be a clear case of corruption at the highest quarters, the Punjab Congress chief said.

Cong flays law and order breakdown

Chandigarh : Punjab Congress on Monday flayed the continuing deterioration of the law and order situation in the state following a shocking gangrape incident in Ludhiana and the killing of a youth in Mansa, allegedly by Youth Akali Dal (YAD) workers.

“That a girl could be subjected to such a horrendous crime on Diwali night in the heart of Ludhiana, where police had claimed to have put up 200 nakas, shows the total lawlessness prevailing in the state,” said the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, in a press release.

The girl, who was thrown out of a car the following morning, continues to be in critical condition in hospital.

“Criminal gangs are on the lose in the state and move freely, without fear of the law enforcement agencies, clearly indicating that they have the patronage of the state leadership,” said PPCC leaders Avtar Henry, Amarjit Samra, Rana K P Singh and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, alleging wholesale criminalisation of Punjab at the hands of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Referring to the YAD attack on a youth, the PPCC leaders said the brazen way in which the YAD workers had stabbed to death a youth who had dared to protest against their visit to some women in his village also showed the total breakdown of law and order in Punjab.

The situation is so grave that even the Election Commission was forced to take cognizance of it and issued directives to ensure free and fair polls amid growing fears of violence during the elections. The PPCC leaders further pointed out that the incidence of crime and violence are growing by the day in the poll-bound state, which is in the grip of all kinds of mafia and criminal gangs.