Punjab Police suspended Barnala DSP Satvir Singh after the alleged lathi-charge on protesting sanitation workers in the city. The action followed political criticism, intervention by commissions and calls for a fair inquiry.
Punjab Police on Friday suspended Barnala DSP Satvir Singh over the alleged lathi-charge on sanitation workers during a protest, following mounting criticism over the police action.
The suspension order was issued by Punjab DGP after a report from the DGP, Patiala Range. Singh has been placed under suspension under Rule 4(1)(a) of the Punjab Police (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970. During the suspension period, his headquarters will remain at the 4th Commando Battalion, SAS Nagar.
The controversy stems from a clash between police and protesting safai karamcharis in Barnala on Wednesday during a cleanliness drive launched by the district administration and the municipal corporation.
According to police, sanitation workers protesting in the city allegedly tried to stop the cleanliness operation and threw stones and garbage bags at personnel deployed at Handiaya Bazar. Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protesters, leaving four personnel injured, officials had said. The sanitation workers, however, claimed that some of them were injured during the police action.
The clash took place amid an ongoing sanitation workers’ protest that had resulted in garbage piling up across Barnala city. Authorities had initiated the cleanliness drive to remove accumulated waste, but the protesting workers opposed the move.
The suspension comes after opposition parties targeted the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government, accusing it of failing to handle the situation and alleging excessive use of force against sanitation workers.
