Tarn Taran violence: Four arrested

TARN TARAN : Police on Saturday arrested four people for vandalising shops and molesting women in the busy Adda Bazaar of the town, a day after a video of the incident went viral.

The video, which was shot on Wednesday evening, shows men groping and dragging women by the hair and vandalising shops in the market after they were reportedly angered in a dispute over a pending payment with a shopkeeper.

The police booked 16 persons, including four who were identified, on charges of attempt to murder. These included a person who had come to recover some money from the complainant shopkeeper, Shashi Bhushan, but got angry as he could not pay that day. They first vandalised his shop and then went on a rampage. Those arrested include Goldy, Sahib Singh, Sahildeep Singh and a minor, all residents of Tarn Taran, said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Darshan Singh Mann. He said 12 others, including the key accused, Amrik Singh alias Sonu, are still at large. He said the two women seen in the video are relatives of the key accused.

“The goons are seen dragging Amrik’s wife and daughter, who were trying to pacify them,” said the SSP.

However, some shopkeepers said the goons molested other girls too.

The police had booked 16 men under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 452 (trespass) 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 379-B (snatching) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian penal Code,” he said, adding that a special team was constituted to arrest the accused on January 31. “We have also recovered some sharp-edged weapons and baseball bats used in the crime.

Accusing the police of negligence, local MLA Dharambir Agnihotri said the city police station is just a stone’s throw from the market where the incident took place, but the cops failed rein in the goons. “A team under the supervision of superintendent of police Tilak Raj will probe the allegations of negligence,” said the SSP. SUKHBIR SEEKS JUDICIAL PROBE Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said vandalism in the market and molestation of women in Tarn Taran was a direct result of “open licence given to Congress goons to strike at opponents at will”.

Demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident, he said there could not be a bigger example of the “jungle raj” which had seeped into Punjab during Congress rule.

“The goons were allowed to ransack 67 shops for 40 minutes at Adda Bazaar. Shopkeepers kept calling the police station, but the ASI concerned refused to come to their aid. Even the senior superintendent of police (SSP) did not take any calls,” he alleged.

WOMEN WHO ARE SEEN BEING DRAGGED IN THE VIDEO ARE RELATIVES OF KEY ACCUSED; THEY AND WERE TRYING TO STOP GOONS, SAY POLICE