Three Nihangs held for attacking MC team in Chandigarh's Sector 15

Hindustan Times

6 days ago

Three Nihangs were arrested for attacking staff of the municipal corporation's enforcement wing while they were removing illegal stalls from the parking area of Patel Market, Sector 15, on Wednesday afternoon.
Amid the melee, a female MC officer was allegedly chased through the market with a sword by an armed Nihang while others from the group also assaulted members of the public, leaving at least four to five people injured.
Police arrested Paramjit Singh, 36, Satrughan Singh, 27, and Satwinder Singh, 33, after lodging an FIR under Sections 121(1), 132, 115(2), 351 (2) and 3(5) of BNS at the Sector-11 police station.
Sub-inspector (Enforcement) Manisha Gill, in a detailed written complaint submitted to the Sector-11 station house officer (SHO), narrated the sequence of incidents that unfolded over two consecutive days—June 3 and June 4.
According to Gill, while performing her official duties as part of an anti-encroachment drive on June 3, she and her team found three individuals illegally placing stalls in the parking area of Patel Market.
When asked to vacate the area, the Nihangs began to misbehave and issued life-threatening warnings to the officers.
After police were alerted, the three individuals were taken to the local police station. Gill subsequently submitted a formal request that these vendors should not be allowed to set up stalls again without permission from MC's vendor cell.
However, in complete defiance of official instructions, the same individuals returned the following day and attempted to reinstall their stall to sell a drink 'shardai' around 1.50 pm.
When the enforcement team objected, the situation escalated again. The vendors hurled abuses and levelled false allegations against Gill, including the accusation that she was 'selling drugs' while on duty.
To amplify their claims, they shot videos of the officer on their mobile phones with the intention to malign her public image, she alleged.
Gill, who emphasised the emotional and reputational distress caused to her as a female officer, further alleged that the situation took a violent turn when the accused brandished weapons and began attacking bystanders and intervening shopkeepers.
'Four to five people from the general public sustained bleeding injuries as the assailants used weapons openly inside the market,' her complaint read.
Of particular concern was an incident involving Ranju, a member of the anti-encroachment drive, who was chased with a sword by one of the accused through the market premises. The team faced not only verbal abuse and threats but also physical intimidation, hampering their ability to carry out government-mandated enforcement operations, Gill alleged.
'It is critical that such violent acts are dealt with firmly so that they are not repeated, and public servants can perform their duties without fear or obstruction,' she concluded in her complaint.