Situation under control in Ludhiana, administration lifts curfew

Ludhiana, Dec 8 (ANI): After three days of violent protests by radical Sikh outfits, the situation is under control here and returning to its usual, after the administration relaxed the curfew that had been imposed in the region.

The radical Sikh outfits were protesting against the arrival of Ashutosh Maharaj, a religious Guru who was to address his followers on Saturday (December 5).

The situation is under control at present with no further tension mounting the city. The traffic is back on the streets and all the shops have reopened.

The locals are now in a sigh of relief with everything back to normal again.

"The situation is absolutely normal in this region. The shops have been reopened and the traffic transport is also back to normal. There is no tension over here, as such. Earlier, there was tension in this area, but now the situation is under control," said Suresh Kumar, a local.

The authorities concerned have declared that the curfew would be lifted from all parts of the city from 8 AM to 5 PM.

"Ludhiana's situation is returning to normal, as the administration has given a relaxation (of the curfew) from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Vehicles are out on the streets, shops are open again and children are going to their schools," said Harish Kumar Bansal, Superintendent of Police.

The Superintendent of Police added that the administration would be monitoring the situation and further announcements will be made accordingly.

Earlier on Saturday (December 5) the members of several Sikh outfits took to the streets, protesting against the arrival of a controversial religious leader Ashutosh Maharaj, who has not found favour with the Sikh groups for allegedly preaching against their religion.

Swami Ashutosh Maharaj, who heads an organisation named Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJSS), was to hold a religious meeting in the city.

The protestors' pelted stones at the police and in response, the police had to open fire to disperse the crowd. A protestor was killed, while many others got injured.

The administration had to cancel the two days conference due to the violent protests across the region. Swami Ashutosh Maharaj is not in the good books of the Sikhs since 1980s, when he allegedly spoke against the religious text of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib.

The radical Sikh outfits also called a Punjab shutdown on Monday. The Sikh outfits were protesting the killing of Darshan Singh, a demonstrator who lost his life in the alleged police firing in Ludhiana on Saturday (December 5). (ANI)