Candlelight march for bureaucrat
AMRITSAR: Coming out in support of senior IAS officer Kahan Singh Pannu, the Punjab director general of school education who was recently assaulted in Uttarakhand, members of Virsa Vihar Society and city residents organised a candlelight march here on Friday.
The participants expressed their anguish over the attack on Pannu, a former Amritsar deputy commissioner, and asserted that it was a “pre-planned and politically motivated” crime.
Punjab CPM leader Vijay Mishra said, “Kahan Singh is a great personality and has left a mark during his stint as DC in Amritsar. He has revolutionised the education system in Punjab; but this kind of incidents raise a serious question mark on the path on which society is heading.”
One of the protesters, Sukhraj Singh Kalia, said that it was a shameful incident for all people of the state and the accused be punished if we wished for a healthy society.
Noted theatre personality Nita Mohindra said, “It is very unfortunate that an officer of such high repute has been thrashed. We residents of the city feel pained and hurt. The government needs to seriously expose people involved in this so that a lesson goes out loud and clear. The former DC was in Uttrakhand to help the people and the way he was treated is shameful.”
Talking to the protesters on phone, Pannu said, “I have received many emails and phone calls from the people of Amritsar; I am really thankful to them for their support. The reason to worry is not that the incident happened with me or any officer, it is that our society is heading towards a darker phase.”
MARCH IN RUPNAGAR
RUPNAGAR: Activists of various organisations took out a candlelight march here on Thursday night in protest against the attack on Punjab- cadre IAS officer Kahan Singh Pannu in Uttarakhand. The march started from Bela Chowk and passed though main streets of the town before culminating back at the chowk.
Leaders of these organisations condemned the attack and demanded strict action against the culprits.