The entry points of Chandigarh from the side of Panchkula via Housing Board Light point, Mani Majra, and Mohali via Mattour Barrier, Sector 51/52, have been barricaded for at least 161 times between January 1, 2019 and March 10, 2023, owing to various protests, the reply to an RTI filed by The Indian Express has revealed.
At least 43,116 Chandigarh Police personnel were deployed at the protest sites over the course of more than four years, the RTI reply further showed.
The average strength of the Chandigarh Police force at the moment is of around 6,650 personnel.
The RTI reply also revealed that at many times, the barricades at the border had to be installed continuously for two to three days when the protesters tried to enter Chandigarh from Panchkula and Mohali on multiple occasions.
As per the RTI details, 91 of the 161 protests, were held near Mattour Barrier, Sector 51/52 dividing road, followed by the 70 protests which were held at the Housing Board Light Point. Interestingly, the only designated protest site in Chandigarh — the Rally Ground in Sector 25 — has merely hosted 15 protests in the last four years.
A total of 176 protests were held at these three sites over a course of four years.
A Chandigarh police officer confirmed, “A total of 176 protests were held at three sites in the city. These do not include protests that were held before the headquarters of political parties, or those outside Haryana, Punjab Vidhan Sabha and at other locations.”
The reply of the RTI further revealed that a total of 43,116 Chandigarh Police personnel were deployed for security at the 176 protests called by different unions of Punjab and Haryana at the three locations — Housing Board Light point, Mani Majra, Mattour Barrier Sector 51/52, and the Rally Ground, Sector 25 — between January, 2019 and March, 2023.
The police personnel deployed included both male and female IPS officers, DSPs, Inspectors, Sub inspectors and others.
The RTI reply showed that at least 26,924 police personnel, out of the 43,116, were deputed for manning 91 protests at Mattour barrier near Sector 51/52.
The Mattour Barrier had in February this year seen Chandigarh Police personnel deployed st the spot being trageted by the members of Quami Insaaf Morcha, after they were stopped from marching to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Chandigarh residence.
The Mattour barrierwas also in teh headline after a violent protest by Haryana sarpanches on March 1.
The Punjab and Haryana high court had even intervened and had instructed Panchkula police to remove the encroachments laid by protesting sarpanches at Housing Board Light point on March 4.
The remaining deployment of UT police, that of 13,540 personnel, was for keeping an eye on at least 70 protests that took place at the Chandigarh Housing Board Light Point, Mani Majra.
Apart from this, 2,652 police personnel were deputed for security at the 15 protests held at Rally Ground, Sector 25 in four years.
The detailed RTI reply received from the police headquarters, Sector 9, stated, “The protests held in 2022 attracted the maximum deployment of 14,610 police personnel, followed by the deployment of 14,299 police personnel in 2021.
Around 6,800 police personnel were deputed in 2019, followed by 3,662 personnel in 2020. At least 3,605 police personnel have been deputed for manning the protests between January 1 and March 10, 2023.”
Duty bound to safeguard UT’s borders, says SSP Kanwardeep Kaur.
“As per instructions of Punjab and Haryana high court, we have been chalking out a plan for dealing with protests that are held at the borders of Chandigarh touching Haryana and Punjab. Usually, we receive information about these protests from Punjab and Haryana. Though our counterparts there try their best to stop protesters from reaching the border, we are duty bound to deploy personnel at our entry points on our end to ensure that such protesters do enter Chandigarh at any cost.”
As per the RTI details, 91 of the 161 protests, were held near Mattour Barrier, Sector 51/52 dividing road, followed by the 70 protests which were held at the Housing Board Light Point. (file) 
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