Tension gripped Punjab’s Patiala town on Friday after Shiv Sena and pro-Khalistani activists clashed by throwing stones at each other and brandishing swords. Police had to fire in the air to bring the situation near Kali Devi Temple under control. The trouble began when radical Sikh elements came out in large numbers to oppose the Khalistan Murdabad March. Harish Singla, the Punjab unit executive president of the right-wing outfit, led the anti-separatist march.
The Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) march was organised to oppose calls for Khalistan on April 29, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said. He also said banned Sikhs for Justice convener Gurpatwant Pannu had led calls for the day. At the same time, a large number of Khalistan supporters reached the spot and began throwing stones at each other.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted the state government was closely monitoring the situation and called the violence ‘deeply unfortunate’. The chief minister said peace has been restored and security forces were deployed in the area to restore calm.
Police say 15 rounds were fired in the air to bring the situation under control.
The district administration has appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony, urging them not to fall for unsubstantiated information and social media forwards.
