Four injured, stones pelted; Rahul Gandhi appeals for peace and harmony in border state

Four people were injured when stones were hurled, as two groups clashed over an “anti-Khalistan march” in Patiala on Friday.

The clash took place outside the Kali Mata temple when members of an outfit that calls itself “Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray)” began a "Khalistan Murdabad March."

Some Sikh activists, including Nihangs, took out another counter march against the Sena event.

Near the Kali Mata temple, the two groups came face to face and hurled stones at each other. The temple gates were locked and police deployed in large numbers to prevent the situation from escalating further in the city, police said.

Four people, including a policeman, were injured, in the stone-pelting, local police added.

A Sena leader said the outfit had planned the march as a reply to the announcement by Sikhs for Justice to mark the ‘foundation day of Khalistan” on April 29.

"We have called force from outside. A peace committee meeting has been called by the Deputy Commissioner," Patiala Inspector General of Police Rakesh Agarwal said, adding restoring peace in the area was the priority for police at present.

Rahul Gandhi on Friday took to Twitter, sensing fear with the rise in communal tensions in a sensitive border state, and appealed to all for peace and harmony. "This is not the place to carry out experiments. Earnestly appeal to the Punjab govt to ensure law and order is maintained," Gandhi tweeted appealing newly formed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Punjab government.

Visuals from Patiala are disturbing.

I repeat, Peace & Harmony are most imperative in a sensitive border state like Punjab. This is not the place to carry out experiments.

Earnestly appeal to the Punjab govt to ensure law and order is maintained.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 29, 2022

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann termed the incident unfortunate and said he was in touch with the state police chief.

"The incident of clashes in Patiala is deeply unfortunate. I have spoken to the DGP; peace has been restored in the area. We are closely monitoring the situation and will not let anyone create disturbance in the state," Mann said in a tweet.

Local authorities announced an 11-hour curfew in Punjab’s Patiala district on Friday.

The curfew will be enforced between 7 pm Friday and 6 am Saturday, according to an order issued by Patiala district magistrate Sakshi Sawhney.