Protest heat rises in poll-bound Ludhiana

Bathinda: With the Ludhiana West byelection looming, the city is now on the radar of protesters of various hues — a pattern observed in previous poll-bound areas like Bathinda during the SAD-BJP tenure and Patiala-Chamkaur Sahib under the Congress govt.
While some employee and unemployed unions are already holding agitations, the family of a deceased village sarpanch and members of various organisations are set to descend on Ludhiana on Thursday for a candle march. Their target: Guru Harsahai MLA Fauja Singh Sarari and his personal assistant, Bachittar Singh, demanding immediate action against them for alleged abetment to suicide.
The protesters plan to converge near Gate Number 1 of Punjab Agriculture University, a stone's throw from the AAP election office for the Ludhiana West byelection.
They intend to hold a protest march.
Jashan Bawa, 24, the sarpanch of Trinda village and an AAP member, died by suicide on May 31. His family alleges that Bawa was driven to the extreme step due to continuous harassment by MLA Sarari and his personal assistant.
On June 9, villagers and various organisations staged a protest at Lakho Ke Behram police station, disrupting the Ferozepur-Fazilka highway to demand justice.
Ferozepur police have formed a special investigations team (SIT), comprising two SP-level officers and one DSP, to investigate the matter and determine the MLA's alleged role in the incident.
MLA Sarari has denied the allegations, attributing them to a smear campaign by certain individuals, including members of his own party.
Meanwhile, a separate wave of protests is set to hit Ludhiana on June 16, organised by the Narinderdeep death action committee. They are demanding a judicial inquiry into the alleged custodial death of 34-year-old IELTS teacher Narinderdeep, who died in Bathinda on May 23. The committee is also demanding the nomination of the CIA-2 in-charge in the case, the arrest of implicated police officers, a government job for a bereaved family member, and compensation.
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