Manjit Kaur, the Station House Officer of Gate Hakima police station, found herself in the crosshairs of a volatile standoff on Jhabal Road this past Friday. She had rushed to the scene with a team to pull a man out of the hands of a mob that had pinned him down. The victim, a Nihang Sikh on a motorcycle, had been stopped by the protesters who accused him of spying for a rival faction.
The situation turned physical almost immediately. Protesters, alleging the man was sent by Major Singh Bhindwad to conduct reconnaissance, grabbed Kaur by the collar. They pushed her around. She refused to back down. After a scuffle that left the officer manhandled but unyielding, police eventually loaded the injured man into their vehicle and transported him to the station.
The root of this friction is a long-standing feud between two Nihang groups over vehicle movements on the road. The protesters claimed the rival group’s vehicles had previously fired upon them, prompting the blockade. They also accused the police of bias, alleging collusion with the opposing party. Traffic on Jhabal Road was gridlocked, forcing diversions as the sit-in dragged on.
This assault on a senior officer lands in a city already reeling from violence. Just 24 hours prior, on Thursday night, Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjit Singh was shot dead by unidentified assailants while returning from duty. The juxtaposition of a cop killed and another cop assaulted within days underscores the deteriorating law and order situation in Amritsar.
Police are now investigating the manhandling incident and the underlying group conflict. With tensions high and accusations of police bias flying, authorities face a difficult task in restoring normalcy to Jhabal Road and ensuring the safety of their own personnel.