Chandigarh June 25 :The protests in several parts of Punjab against the killing of an innocent Sikh youth in Mumbai by Dera Sirsa chief’s private gunman passed off peacefully today.
A statement issued by Mr. Harcharan Bains, Media Advisor to Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal said that although road and rail traffic was affected at about 19 places, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state. "Government agencies had made elaborate arrangements to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state. Keeping in view the highly emotive nature of the issue, they used a combination of restraint, tact and firmness to ensure that the situation remained peaceful and totally under control. The state remained normal and free from any kind of tension.," said Mr. Bains in his statement.
The Media Advisor who is also the Punjab government’s principal spokesperson, said that the Indian Railways plies more than 225 daily routes in the state. Reports reaching Chandigarh said that of these, eleven had been either partially affected or rescheduled. At some places, rail traffic was held up for about two hours by peaceful agitators. The railways authorities cancelled two goods trains and five others while rescheduling seven other trains in the state. At several places the administration and local volunteers served water, cold drinks and snacks to commuters who had been held up in the protests. Some agitators in Fatehgarh Sahib district, who were still staging a dharna on the railways line were likely to end their protest in the evening.
Similarly, agitators blocked road traffic at 11 places in the state during the day. However, no untoward incident was reported from any of these places.