A near-total Bandh was witnessed in Amritsar and its surrounding areas as rail and road traffic was badly hit after various Sikh organisations led by Dal Khalsa blocked trains and buses originating and coming to the city. They were protesting against the anti-Sikh carnage in 1984 and demanding justice for the families of the victims across the country.

While schools and colleges remained closed, some banks were open but there was hardly any public dealing. Though no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the region, stranded passengers at the local railway station complained of harassment.

Members of the Dal Khalsa, Khalsa Action Committee, Damdami Taksal and Shiromani Akali Dal (Panch Pardhani) sat on rail tracks at Shivala Fatak, forcing Shatabdi Express to stop.

The Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express, Amritsar-Nanded-Sachkhand Express, New Delhi-Amritsar Express, Amritsar-New Delhi Inter City Express, Amritsar-Hardwar Jan Shatabdi Express, Howrah-Amritsar Express and Ahmedabad-Jammu Express trains were cancelled. Commuters said though they were told by the railway authorities that morning trains would run uninterrupted, no train could leave the station till afternoon.

“There is a total chaos. We do not know if we should wait for the train to leave for Mumbai or go home,” said Rajesh Sharma, who was stranded at the station with family members.

Divisional General Manager (Railways) S S Bhullar said train services had become normal by evening.

Buses too remained off roads, though private vehicles and ambulances operated without any interruption.

“We had declared that it would be a peaceful bandh. It is a verdict against the divisive politics and the politics of genocide adopted by the Congress,” said Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwarpal Singh.

In the Doaba region too, including Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts, the bandh was total but remained peaceful. Amid elaborate security arrangements, almost all commercial establishments and private schools remained closed. Bus services were affected too.

The protestors staged a demonstration outside the District Administration Complex in Jalandhar, reciting Gurbani hyms. A few groups took a round of the city and downed the shutters of shops.

It was for the first time in the last 25 years when a call for Punjab bandh was given against the Sikh carnage in 1984, in the aftermath of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination. People from all communities expressed their sympathy and solidarity with the victims of this massacre. Many of them, however, said though they supported the cause for the bandh call, they believed this was not the right way to lodge their protest.

“A bandh is non-productive and causes inconvenience to the people,” said Subhash Gupta, a businessman in Jalandhar.

He said people should take up the ‘84 carnage issue like they had taken up the Jessica murder case where thousands protested against the injustice and a fresh case was registered against the culprits who had been earlier acquitted by a lower court.

Amar Arora, a retired government servant, echoed similar views and urged the people of all communities to unite on such issues and compel the government to punish the guilty, instead of causing inconvenience to public.

In Ferozepur district, members of the Sikh Students’ Federation tried to forcibly close schools and colleges. The duty magistrate later told them not to enter the premises of educational institutions, said Deputy Commissioner Kamal kishore Yadav. The members, however, succeeded in closing the tehsil and district transport offices. The members also made public announcements in gurdwaras to support the bandh.

It was a near-complete bandh in Bathinda and the entire Malwa region, with most commercial establishments responding to the call. Heavy police force was deployed at a number of places. The bandh, however, remained a peaceful one. Government offices were open and the transport system too functioned as usual. Private bus operators, however, decided to keep their buses off roads.

Members of the Khalsa Action committee stopped trains at the Rajpura railway station, while buses were stopped outside the Patiala bus stand.

Chairman of Khalsa Action Committee and Damdami Taksal chief Bhai Mohkam Singh, SAD (Panch Pardhani) general secretary Harpal Singh Cheema, Dal Khalsa president H S Dhami and their supporters sat on the railway track at the Rajpura railway station blocking the traffic for a few hours.

While few state buses could be seen on the roads, those from the neighbouring states operated smoothly, though there were not many passengers as people preferred to stay indoors.

Business and commercial establishments, shops and private schools remained shut. Government schools were open but had very less attendance. Punjabi University remained open too.

(With inputs from Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Bathinda and Patiala)

Dal Khalsa thanks people of state
JALANDHAR:Dal Khalsa expressed its gratitude to the people of Punjab for their cooperation in making the bandh successful. Party spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh said the Sikhs had lost all hopes in the Indian judicial system as it had failed to ensure justice to the aggrieved families even after 25 years. “We will approach the UN shortly to seek relief and justice,” he said. Kanwarpal criticised the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for keeping its offices open when the entire state observed the bandh.

SAD seeks apology from Sarna
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) sought an apology from Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Parmjit Singh Sarna on Tuesday for hurting the sentiments of Sikhs by inviting a Congress chief minister to a gurdwara function where community members were observing 25th years of Sikh riots. In a statement issued on Tuesday, SAD spokesman and secretary Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said it was very unfortunate that when Sikhs worldwide were observing 25th anniversary of Sikh riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were massacred across the country, Sarna invited a chief minister of the Congress party, which was primarily responsible for the carnage.