Shiv Sena men booked for assaulting Sikh passerby during protest in Nawanshahr

NAWANSHAHR: Several Shiv Sena leaders and activists were booked on Monday evening for assaulting a Sikh passer-by in presence of senior police officers during their protest on Friday after Hindu Shiv Sena head Abhishek Batta ( who had his own outfit) was killed in a road accident.
Nawanshahr SSP Snehdeep Shrma said that the case has been registered on the basis of statement given by Mohali resident Jaswinder Singh, who was assaulted repeatedly even after police saved him.Police have also added a complaint submitted by Sikh organizations on Monday in which they had identified and named the Sena activists who were involved in the attack from the photograophs and videos. Their complaint had named 12 leaders who head different outfits of Shiv Sena or other right wing Hindu organizations in Nawanshahr and Phagwara.
“Initially we have registered case for hurting religious sentiments and then other sections can also be added as per investigations,” SSP Sharma said.
Sikh activists have been demanding and protesting that they should be booked and arrested and on Monday also they had gathered and protested near Civil hospital where they had gathered after challenging Shiv Sena men to reach there “if they have guts”.
The protest and assault had led to an unsavoury situation with. After a round of challenges and counter challenges on social media between Sikh activists and Shiv Sena activists to see each other in direct fight at 11 AM on Monday near Civil Hospital Nawanshahr over 150 Sikh activists reached there and threw further challenges on Sena men to come there. There was no report of Shiv Sena men gathering anywhere.
Trouble had started on Friday when Shiv Sena activists were protesting while blocking the Chandigarh highway after Hindu Shiv Sena head Abhishek Battta died in a road accident but his supporters alleged it was a conspiracy as he was facing threat to his life from militant groups. During protest they attacked a Sikh passer-by and insulted two others while giving the issue a communal twist. Though they alleged threatened but they could not answer that why had he not taken along his Punjab Police gunman even as a woman acquaintance was travelling with him and she was injured in the accident.
In a meeting with Kapurthala SSP Rajinder Singh, Sikh organizations pointed out that there were several Shiv Sena out fits and Punjab Police security provided to several of them should be withdrawn as it was being misused by them. They also demanded registration of a separate case for violation of National Flag code by Batta’s supporters.