Congress workers in Punjab today gheraoed a police station here to protest a recent baton charge on Dalits.
Led by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi, along with Punjab Congress vice-president Surinderpal Singh Sibia, the gherao lasted for more than an hour and ended with the submission of a memorandum to Bhawanigarh Naib Tehsildar and Sangrur DSP, demanding action against the policemen responsible for the baton charge on Dalits and their release.
The Congress workers were protesting against the action on agitating Dalits by Bhawanigarh police on May 24 at Balad Kalan village near here and seek justice for them, Channi said.
The Dalits were protesting against auction of 105 bighas of panchayat land of their village, reserved for SCs, terming it as "dummy" auction and seeking entire 531 bighas reserved land at low rates for all Dalits of the village for joint farming.
Channi demanded immediate withdrawal of cases registered against Dalits from Balad Kalan and other villages.
He claimed as per rule, one third of this land was supposed to be auctioned to Dalits but the same was being grabbed as benami.
