Sukhbir demands criminal case against cops for assaulting teachers

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday demanded immediate registration of a criminal case against police personnel, who allegedly launched a brutal assault on peacefully protesting unemployed teachers in Patiala to please their political masters as well as action against those who ordered this barbaric action.

In a statement here, the SAD president said it had come to light in the media that some police officers including Patiala's Superintendent of Police (City), beat up the unemployed teachers mercilessly without any provocation sorely to earn brownie points.

He said with senior officers leading the charge against the youth, other cops also took the cue that there was a direct order from the very top to deal to teach a lesson to the unemployed teachers for daring to march towards the residence of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.

"This resulted in injuries to a dozen persons, including women with policemen pulling them with their hair and misbehaving with them. The brutality was such that two youth even jumped into the Bhakra canal," he said.

Badal said instead of taking action against the police personnel, the Congress government registered cases against the victims of the merciless assault by registering cases against 70 unemployed teachers.

Stating that it was actions like these which were signs of a dictatorial regime, the SAD President demanded the cases being withdrawn immediately. He also demanded registration of a criminal case against the SP (City) as well as other cops involved in this gruesome attack besides action against those who ordered it.

The SAD president said the Congress government had proved that it did not have any intention to recruit qualified candidates, who had passed the TET examination by advertising 1,664 posts even when there were 12,000 vacancies.

"What new posts will you create when you are not even filling vacant posts," he asked, adding the SAD would launch a sustained campaign soon to force the government to fill all vacant posts as well as create new ones to provide employment to the youth.