(Image: Twitter Source)
Protesters shouted slogans in Bengali on Friday evening demanding an explanation from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the October 8 incident involving 43-year-old Sikh Balwinder Singh, from whom police recovered a loaded pistol during the demonstration. of BJP Yuva Morcha at the Secretary of State on October 8.
- PTI
- Last update: October 10, 2020 2:15 PM IST
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Around 50 members of the Sikh community held a protest rally in the city to condemn the alleged assault of a Sikh man and remove his turban by the police during a BJP march towards the secretariat of state in Howrah in West Bengal.
Protesters shouted slogans in Bengali on Friday evening demanding an explanation from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the October 8 incident involving 43-year-old Sikh Balwinder Singh, from whom police recovered a loaded pistol during the demonstration. of BJP Yuva Morcha at the Secretary of State on October 8.
“CM Mamata Banerjee, please explain why your police have taken off a Sikh’s turban. You should explain or leave the chair,” protesters chanted on Central Avenue near Esplanade Crossing. The protesters also carried signs with the same written demands.
“We are aggrieved by the way legislators have treated a member of our community. We demand the punishment of the police officers who committed such an act,” said Surinder Singh, one of the protesters, adding that the aggrieved members of the community in the city gathered to express protests and do not belong to any political party.
Controversy erupted on Friday over the alleged assault of the Sikh man and that he removed his turban during the Nabanna demonstration in Howrah, but police said the person was carrying a firearm and that his helmet “had automatically fallen off in the fight. that followed “.
The BJP accused the Trinamool congressional government of hurting Sikhs’ feelings. The incident drew huge social media appeal after cricketer Harbhajan Singh posted on Twitter, tagging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying: “Please investigate the matter. This is simply not done.” When footage from the incident went viral, West Bengal police tweeted on Friday: “The person in question was carrying firearms at yesterday’s protest. El Pagri had automatically fallen into the ensuing melee, without any attempt from our official”.
“It is never our intention to hurt the feelings of any community.” Singh, a resident of Bhatinda, is a former Indian army soldier and currently works as a private security officer hired by a BJP leader, the party leadership claimed. “The West Bengal Police respect all religions. The officer specifically asked you to return your Pagri prior to arrest. The attached photo was clicked just before you were escorted to the police station. We remain committed to our duty to uphold the law. and order in the state, “police said in another tweet, featuring a photo of Singh in a turban.
Parts of Kolkata and neighboring Howrah looked like a battle zone on Thursday as BJP workers and supporters clashed with police, throwing stones and blocking roads with burning tires, to protest a series of killings of saffron party workers.
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