A placard-carrying protester demanding better promotion of Punjabi language in the state was allegedly manhandled by police outside Guru Nanak Stadium of Ludhiana on Independence Day. Mahinder Singh Sekhon (67) was carrying a placard in his hands that had a caricature of CM Captain Amarinder Singh and read, ‘Independence Day? Our mother tongue Punjabi is still a slave, never given equal rights or status.’ (in Punjabi). With State Health Minister Brahm Mohindra about to arrive for the Independence Day event, Sekhon, was allegedly manhandled by police, and later detained at a police station. “What was my fault?..I just wanted to convey a message to our politicians that they should not ignore our mother tongue Punjabi. The police misbehaved with me. They even tore my banner and then I was taken to the police station and detained till the function was not over,” said Sekhon. After getting released from Sarabha Nagar police station, Sekhon also went to Issru village at Khanna at political conferences organised by the parties to register his protest. He claimed there too policemen misbehaved with him. “In every other state, the central government official communications like forms, notices etc are in English, Hindi and the regional language of that state, but Punjab is not following it,” he said.
