Lawyers not to block roads; to take a call over strike in meeting

Ludhiana: Lawyers held a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s office here on Thursday against the alleged assault on their colleague by a former Ludhiana STF incharge. But this time they did not block traffic near the mini secretariat.
On February 25, in his complaint to the police commissioner and AIG, STF, advocate Varun Gupta had said a day before he was returning from Delhi with his father and driver, when STF incharge Harbans Singh beat him up and maltreated his father at a restaurant near Doraha. The DC had later ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter, which was being carried out by Payal SDM even as the advocate had moved Punjab and Haryana High court seeking action against Harbans.
Vice-president of the District Bar Association (DBA) Rajinder Pal Singh Babbar said they would continue to observe the strike but in a peaceful way. He added that hopefully on Friday the symbolic protest would continue and it would be decided in the general house meeting on how long it would continue.
He said they would continue to hold symbolic protest against the cross case by police but only Ludhiana Bar will be on strike whereas earlier the bar associations under the jurisdiction of Ludhiana sessions division were on strike. He added that they would see what the majority says in the general house, on whether to end the strike or continue with it.
The office-bearers of the DBA said they had sent a strong message to them (STF) that they would not let them falsely implicate innocent people. The lawyers said there was anger against the police for a cross case in the matter. Senior advocate Amit Tandon said as lawyers got message about the cross case by police, they was angry over the development. He added that a general house meeting was held in the morning, wherein it was decided to continue to protest after which lawyers staged a sit in outside the DC’s office from 11.30am to 12noon.
“As the protest was going on, we got a message from the high court that there had been directions with regard to cross case against Advocate Varun. Also, since the court asked the lawyers to lift the blockade, so we respected the court order,” said Amit Tandon.
Meanwhile, commuters who take the Ferozepur road heaved a sigh of relief as the busy road didn’t witness a traffic chaos, which had been there for the few days.