Punjab Congress today staged a dharna outside a jail here and demanded unconditional release by May 18 of students, who have been arrested for allegedly protesting against the death of a teenage girl, who was molested and thrown out of a city bus.
Punjab Congress President Partap Singh Bajwa said failing this, the party would gherao the offices of the Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police.
He said these students had unnecessarily been "held and tortured" for registering their protest against the death of the teenaged girl, after she was recently thrown out of a moving Orbit bus by her molesters at Moga, and, who later died while her mother suffered injuries.
Bajwa along with Congress leaders and workers staged a dharna outside the Faridkot jail.
Meanwhile, officials announced that the Section 307 of IPC relating to attempt to murder case against these students had been "withdrawn".
The arrested students include a girl and besides them, a 13-year-old boy was also detained.
The parents of these students also joined the dharna led by Bajwa.
Bajwa slammed the jail authorities for not allowing him and the parents to meet the arrested students, despite the fact that he had applied for permission under the rules last evening.
He lashed out at the Parkash Singh Badal government for allegedly "resorting to double standards" pointing out that two independent MLAs were allowed to meet these students few days ago and the rules were the same.
He said it was strange that the leader of the biggest opposition party had been denied permission while this facility had been granted to others.
He made it clear that the Congress would continue to be in forefront in all the struggles against the "corrupt and non-functioning" Badal government.
"You are in your fifth term as the chief minister and this is going to end up as your worst tenure going by the mafia rule in the state. The situation is heading towards anarchy as you have utterly failed to govern with serious blow having been dealt to the system. Your rule would end with this blot on your face", Bajwa alleged.
Later, he also visited the family of students and assured all support on behalf of Congress party.
