Group of counter-protesters pelts stones at Singhu, clashes break out
NEW DELHI: A group of around 200 people who said they were locals entered the Singhu border protest site despite heavy barricading and police presence on Friday, and clashed with both cops and farmers in an incident that led to injuries to a station house officer (SHO) and several others.
The SHO of Alipur, Pradeep Paliwal, was injured after he was hit on his left palm by the sword of a protesting Sikh farmer. Eyewitnesses said that the farmer was intending to drive the stonepelting mob away, even as police said that the farmer attacked the officer. There were also visuals of police personnel and members of the group of counter-protesters beating the farmer with lathis.
At around 12.30pm on Friday, over 100 people claiming to be locals entered the protest site in a rare breach of security setup, raising slogans of “goli maaro...” (shoot the traitors) and branding the farmers as “Khalistanis”. Some of them had covered their faces with mufflers and handkerchiefs.
Police said that 44 people from both groups were caught at the spot on Friday.