The police today foiled an attempt by supporters of Baba Surat Singh Khalsa to take out a protest march from his village at Hassanpur to Ludhiana by taking some of his supporters under preventive custody.
85-year-old Khalsa is on hunger strike at him home in Hassanpur village since January 17 seeking release of former militants lodged in different jails.
Khalsa's supporters had gathered at Hassanpur village on the outskirts of Ludhiana to take out the march but the police reached the spot and foiled their attempt to take out the march, a police officer said adding 40 of his supporters were taken under preventive custody to avoid any breach of peace.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajat Aggarwal, CP Ludhiana Promod Ban and SSP Ludhiana rural police district Ravcharn Singh Brar rushed to the spot with a large contingent of police and para military forces to keep the situation under control as tension prevails in and around Hassanpur village.
However, Brar denied that police used lathi charge.
He said that Khalsa had not been shifted to any other place, including hospital or taken into preventive custody.
Yesterday three of Khalsa's supporters were arrested at Ludhiana and there was a clash between police and the protesters at Ajnala where one police official was injured.
