Hoshiarpur- The Bahujan Samaj Party, led by State President and former Rajya Sabha member Dr. Avtar Singh Karimpuri, held a protest demonstration today at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Hoshiarpur against the blind police brutality and merciless beating of 2600 unemployed youth who were protesting peacefully for their apprenticeship rights in Patiala. A memorandum addressed to the Governor of Punjab was also submitted.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Karimpuri leveled serious allegations against both the current and previous governments of Punjab. While presenting a detailed account of dates and years of brutal lathi-charges on unemployed youth—including ETT teachers, B.Ed TET-qualified teachers, linemen, and health workers—who were demanding their rights, permanent recruitment, and employment, he stated that the history of the last two decades in Punjab bears witness that whether it was the Akali-BJP alliance, the Congress, or the current Aam Aadmi Party, rulers of every era have relied solely on lathi-charges, water cannons, and police repression to suppress the voices of the state's youth.
Exposing the ruthless face of these governments with statistical data, Dr. Karimpuri stated that just a few days ago, on June 04, 2026, in Patiala, the police under the Mann government carried out a severe lathi-charge on 2600 apprentice linemen demanding permanent recruitment outside the Powercom head office, leaving several youths with fractured heads. In protest against this, and demanding the immediate dismissal of those responsible for the lathi-charge, the BSP is holding demonstrations across Punjab.
He recalled incidents such as January 07, 2025 (Sangrur), when unemployed ETT teachers marching toward the Chief Minister’s residence were brutally beaten on the roads; December 15, 2023 (Sangrur), when excessive force was used against the youth of the Sanjhe Berozgar Morcha; and July 13, 2022 (Sangrur), when the government that came to power in the name of 'Change' dragged B.Ed TET-qualified teachers and female protesters by their hair only a few months later. Dr. Karimpuri noted that during the Congress tenure (2017–2022), specifically on December 05, 2021 (Patiala), under Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, police force was used so violently that youths were forced to jump into a canal. He also cited June 23, 2021, February 27, 2020, and December 18, 2019 (Patiala), when teachers marching toward Moti Mahal against Captain Amarinder Singh’s false promises of 'employment in every home' were repeatedly lathi-charged at YPS Chowk.
Regarding the SAD-BJP government (2007–2017), he mentioned February 12, 2016, and May 05, 2015 (Bathinda), when sticks were used on linemen and female teachers seeking employment during Sukhbir Singh Badal's Sangat Darshan. He also recalled the fierce police havoc on December 09, 2011 (Bathinda), against ETT-qualified unemployed youth seeking jobs just before elections, and September 05, 2009, in Kapurthala, when those demanding rights were crushed on the roads on a holy day like Teacher's Day.
The BSP State President declared that the main objective of the BSP's "Punjab Sambhalo Muhim" (Save Punjab Campaign) is to expose the hypocritical face of these traditional parties to the public. He remarked that leaders who take oaths to provide employment to youth during elections send them to jails and hospitals as soon as they attain power. Dr. Karimpuri warned the current Bhagwant Mann government to stop the 'lathi-system' (use of batons) against the unemployed and immediately issue notifications for permanent recruitment. The Bahujan Samaj Party stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the victimized youth and unemployed unions of Punjab and will further intensify the movement across the state against this oppression.