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1 killed, 35 injured as Punjab bandh turns violent

A 60-year-old woman was killed and about 35 people, including two policemen, injured as the Punjab bandh, called by Dalit leaders to protest against a teleserial, turned violent on Tuesday.

Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse a 3,000-strong mob of Dalit activists, which gate-crashed into the Doordarshan centre in Jalandhar, smashing its sentry post and outer reception.

While most agitators started dispersing around 1500 hours after a fax message from Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer S S Gill promised the immediate discontinuation of the serial, about 100 activists stayed put at the site. When their number started increasing, police resorted to lathi charge, injuring 30.

In retaliation, agitators bashed up two policemen near the main gate of the television centre, scaled the iron gate and opened it from inside. They beat up the receptionist. Police had to lob teargas shells to disperse them.

The serial, Jai Veer Hanuman, allegedly portrays the sage Valmiki as a dacoit.

In Phagwara, Dalit activists blocked traffic for an hour on the national highway and burnt effigies of serial producer Sanjay Khan and Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Schools remained closed in Jalandhar but banks and government offices were open.

The bandh call, however, evoked no response in Hajipur and Mahilpur towns of Hoshiarpur district.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of the Valmiki Samaj had met Sushma Swaraj and Gill and demanded a ban on the television serial.

The delegation comprised Samaj representatives from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

UNI

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