BAINS-DC SPAR CAUSES RIPPLES Demand cancellation of Bains’ Vidhan Sabha membership Harshraj Singh LUDHIANA, SEPTEMBER 9 Demanding action against Lok Insaaf Party chief-cum-MLA Simarjit Singh Bains for “misbehaving” with Gurdaspur DC Vipul Ujwal, members of the Ludhiana unit of The Punjab State District DC Offices Employees Union today went on pen-down strike for three days. They have also demanded action against the persons who had allegedly made the Zira SDM hostage and “attempted” to throw him along with his car into the river recently. As the strike was called across the state by the union, the local employees staged a dharna at the DC office here to lodge their protest this morning. The union has written to the Governor of Punjab, the Chief Electoral Officer, the Vidhan Sabha Speaker, the Chief Secretary and the DGP, seeking cancellation of Bains’ membership from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. They have further demanded that Bains should be disqualified from contesting elections in the future. The police had booked Bains under various sections of the IPC on the charge of misbehaving with Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Vipul Ujwal. President of DC Office Employees Union of Ludhiana Vikas Kumar Taneja said they demanded action against Bains for misbehaving with the Gurdaspur DC. The union has also demanded arrest of the miscreants who had held the Zira SDM hostage, he said. The union had earlier given a strike call for today only but they later extended it till September 11. They submitted a memorandum to the Ludhiana DC. Juneja said the officials and employees had been targeted by “miscreants” for the past some time. “A meeting of the PCS Executive Officers Association, DC Office Employees Union, Kanungo Association, Punjab Patwar Union and others was held at Zira today. The PSC officials will go on a pen-down strike on September 11 in all districts of Punjab. Besides, kanungos, tehsildars, naib tehsildars and patwaris will also strike work. We all will wear black ribbons to mark the protest. If no action is taken against the suspects, we will intensify agitation and announce our further course of action on September 11,” he said. Visitors caught unawares Visitors to the DC office were caught unawares. They were seen returning without getting their works done. Taranjeet Singh said: “I had no information about the strike. An employee advised me to come after a few days as they had extended their agitation. The employees should return to work at the earliest.” Another visitor said: “My village is located 15 km from the DC office and it is difficult to visit here again and again. The government should persuade the employees into ending their strike.” Stir may cause Rs 10-cr loss An employee at the DC office said their three-day strike may cause a financial loss of about Rs 10 crore. Work has been badly affected at offices of DC, SDM, Revenue Department and others at the tehsil level. Many people had come to apply for the registration of properties but the employees were on strike.

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