Violent mob injures 19 cops

CHANDIGARH, May 24: Over 27 people, including 19 police personnel, were injured after agitating members of the Medical Practitoners Association, Punjab, who were demonstrating at the Chandigarh Housing Board chowk turned violent and were teargased and lathi-charged.

One of the injured, the Central Reserve Police Force truck driver is stated to be admitted at the PGI in a serious condition after pieces of glass from the shattered wind screen of his truck entered his eyes, police sources said. The agitationists claimed at least three of their men had suffered fractures. Over a dozen government cars, four Chandigarh Transport Undertaking CTU buses and two police vehicles were also damaged in the melee. The violent mob also smashed traffic lights in Sector 17 leaving a trail of glass pieces and stones after the violence had been brought under control.

Thousands of protestors had gathered at the CHB chowk this morning to demand that an Officer on Special Duty OSD be sent to the spot to accept their charter of demands, the association state General Secretary R. K. Bali said. The rally was held to protest against the raids on the workplaces of unregistered medical practitioners all over Punjab following a High Court order, the association president Surjit Singh said.

Violence began late in the afternoon, when the agitationists tried to force their way through the barricades and pelted stones on the police personnel, a senior police official said. The police used tear gas, water cannon and lathi-charged the mob to disperse them, sources said. The police have registered a case against 14 persons for rioting, damaging public property, assaulting and causing hurt to public servants.