Phagwara clash: 5 RSS-BJP leaders’ names figure in FIR

PHAGWARA: While Punjab BJP president Shwet Malik has sought a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the clash in Phagwara between right wing Hindu groups and Dalit activists, names of at least five RSS-BJP leaders and activists also figure in the FIR registered by the police in the case. Malik has allege that there was a larger political conspiracy to incite caste or section based clashes to polarize voters before the next year Lok Sabha elections.
One of the BJP-RSS activist had already been arrested along with three other right wing leaders.The case was registered by the Phagwara police for attempt to murder and other stringent charges.
The leaders named in the FIR include former RSS Nagar Karyavah Yogesh Parbhakar, former Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) mandal president Ballu Walia, former BJP mandal vice-president Banttu Walia, former BJYM mandal general secretary Sabhi Touri and current BJYM mandal president Raju Chahal.
Chahal has already been arrested, along with Shiv Sena state vice-president Inderjit Karwal, All India Hindu Suraksha Samiti Punjab president Deepak Bharadwaj, Hindu Shiv Sena ‘national president’ Shive Batta. Police have already seized their licensed weapons and their arms licences are have also been cancelled.
In the memorandum submitted on Thursday by Malik and other Punjab BJP leaders, they had asked the Punjab governor to issue a directive to Punjab chief minister to call an all-party meeting to discuss initiatives for establishing peace in the society. As they emphasized formation of SIT to probe the clash, the BJP leaders also said the local police were not probing political conspiracy angle and were only limited to the incidents of violence.
Malik was not available for comments despite repeated calls on his mobile phone and did not respond to the text messages also.
The clash had taken place in the midnight of April 13 when activists of Ambedkar Sena, led by Harbhajan Suman, put a hoarding to name the Goal Chowk as Sanvidhaan Chowk, after which right wing activists gathered there to oppose it. Even as local administration and police officials tried to intervene, the two sides clashed.
The incident has also brought the activists of Ravidassia/Adidharmi and Valmiki communities on the same page as of the two injured Kuwlinder is an Adidharmi while Bobby is from the Valmiki community. These are the two largest SC communities in the state and their population is around one fourth of the state population.
Who fired the shots?
A week after the clash in Phagwara, it is not yet clear that who fired the bullets even as four Hindu leaders have been arrested and their licenced weapons seized. While the bullet which pierced lower abdomen of Kulwinder Kumar, who was admitted in Johal Hospital in Jalandhar, has already been taken out, the one stuck in the head of Yashwant alias Bobby has not been removed.
When contacted, Kapurthala SSP Sandeep Sharma, who has been camping in the town along with deputy commissioner (DC) Mohammad Tayyab amid heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, said the weapons seized from the Hindu leaders and the bullet taken out were sent to a forensic lab. Only the forensic examination would confirm if it was fired from any of the seized weapons or from some other firearm, he added.
Kapurthala SP (investigation) Jagjit Singh Saroya revealed that they had also recovered four empty shells from Shive Batta, one of the arrested Hindu leaders.