The News Caravan

Tag: cannon

  • Police use water cannon, tear gas on Imran Khan’s supporters as rallies banned in Lahore

    Police use water cannon, tear gas on Imran Khan’s supporters as rallies banned in Lahore

    [ad_1]

    Lahore: Pakistan’s police on Wednesday fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse ousted prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters who gathered outside his residence here, defying a government ban on rallies.

    Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed that its “peaceful” workers were arrested as reports emerged that the provincial capital had been placed under Section 144, banning public gatherings.

    The party termed the police action as “fascist” and an attempt to “clear the way” to arrest 70-year-old former cricketer-turned politician.

    A heavy contingent of police placed containers and barriers on the way to Khan’s residence, blocking all entries.

    Police used water cannons, fired tear gas and baton charged the PTI workers including women. The police bundled the resisting workers into police vans, the party said.

    The riot police also smashed the cars of the PTI workers which were parked at Zaman Park. Police officials also manhandled journalists who protested the action, it claimed.

    Last Sunday, police failed to arrest Khan primarily because of the resistance of a large number of PTI workers.

    Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana, and selling them for profit.

    Police have registered at least 76 cases against the PTI chief since his ouster from power in April last year.

    “Police have arrested a number of PTI workers who had gathered at Zaman Park,” PTI senior leader Hammad Azhar told a press conference here.

    He said police tortured PTI workers and also manhandled women.

    “Punjab caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi launched the crackdown on PTI workers at the behest of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who is directly running the Punjab government,” he said.

    He said it is the fear of Imran Khan that made the government unnerved.

    “How come the government can ban rallies in Lahore while elections in Punjab have been announced for April 30,” he asked. Another PTI senior leader Shireen Mazari said: “Women workers of PTI are being attacked by water cannons. Police attack vehicles parked by the side in a wanton act of destruction. Fascist CM Mohsin Naqvi has gone power crazy. They are using chemicals in the water from the water cannons being fired on our women workers especially.” The PTI rally was to be taken out for “respect and dignity of the judiciary.” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah justified police action, saying “we had terror alerts from agencies” therefore ban on public gatherings and rallies imposed on Punjab.

    [ad_2]
    #Police #water #cannon #tear #gas #Imran #Khans #supporters #rallies #banned #Lahore

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Sri Lankan opposition-led protest march comes under police tear gas, water cannon attack

    Sri Lankan opposition-led protest march comes under police tear gas, water cannon attack

    [ad_1]

    Colombo: Sri Lankan police on Sunday fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse a protest march organised by the country’s main opposition coalition here against the delay in local body polls.

    The Election Commission on Friday formally announced that the local body elections would not be held on March 9 as planned, and a fresh date will be notified on March 3.

    The protest march and rally organised by the National People’s Power urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government to hold the local body polls.

    Police tried to disperse the protesters and fired water cannons and tear gas twice at the Union Place area of central Colombo, where authorities had blocked several access roads.

    The police obtained orders from the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court, preventing 26 people, including the NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, from entering areas around the President’s Office and President’s House until 8 pm on Sunday.

    The NPP leaders carried a banner during the march, which said, “let’s defeat the government’s cowardly attempt to bury democracy by not holding the election”.

    Opposition parties like the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) pin the blame on Wickremesinghe, who is also the country’s finance minister, for trying to sabotage the local body polls by blocking the funds from the Treasury.

    They are also accusing him of influencing the state officials and the Election Commission against the holding of the polls, fearing a loss.

    The election to appoint new administrations to 340 local councils for a four-year term has been postponed since March last year due to the ongoing economic crisis.

    The government has indicated repeatedly that the time was unsuitable to hold the election, given the economic crisis.

    It said the scarcity of money to hold the election costing Rs 10 billion would bring additional pressure on the already lean state finances.

    Despite the uncertainty around the elections, the main opposition party has been campaigning vigorously and is thought to have a good chance of winning control of a sizeable number of seats.

    Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves, sparking political turmoil in the country that led to the ouster of the all-powerful Rajapaksa family.

    [ad_2]
    #Sri #Lankan #oppositionled #protest #march #police #tear #gas #water #cannon #attack

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Adani row: Water cannon used against protesting AAP workers in Chandigarh

    Adani row: Water cannon used against protesting AAP workers in Chandigarh

    [ad_1]

    Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Police on Sunday used water cannon to prevent AAP workers from moving towards the BJP office here as part of their protest against the Centre over the Adani issue.

    Aam Aadmi Party workers, gathered from various parts of Punjab, wanted to “gherao” the office of the Punjab BJP in Sector 37 here to register their protest against the party-led central government.

    Barricades were put up and a heavy deployment of police was made to prevent the protesters from heading towards the Punjab BJP office.

    Police used a water cannon when AAP workers tried to force their way towards the BJP office, said officials.

    Carrying party flags, AAP workers shouted slogans against the BJP government over the Adani issue.

    AAP MLA from the Jalalabad constituency Jagdeep Kamboj slammed the BJP alleging that it has failed on all fronts.

    Later, police detained several party leaders and workers.

    Earlier speaking to reporters at the party office, AAP leader Harchand Singh Barsat alleged that the Adani Group’s fortunes rose under the BJP rule.

    Another AAP leader, Sunny Ahluwalia, said the party will continue to raise its voice over this issue.

    Adani Group stocks had taken a beating on the bourses after US-based activist short-seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share price manipulation, against the Gautam Adani-led group, which has dismissed the allegations as lies.

    Opposition parties have been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the issue.



    [ad_2]
    #Adani #row #Water #cannon #protesting #AAP #workers #Chandigarh

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )