CHANDIGARH: Punjab Pradesh Congress has strongly condemned the misbehavior of Policemen  with media men who were performing their duty of covering the lathilarge on Aanganwari workers at Bathinda in the presence of Chief Minister S. Prakash Singh Badal.

In a statement issued here Saturday Punjab Congress Spokesperson and Former Minister S. Jagmohan Singh Kang said that Press is the Fourth pillar  of democracy and attack on this important  democratic Institution is unfortunate, uncalled for and highly condemnable.

He  said that the Press was covering the  brutal use of force on peaceful demonstrators and this behaviour of Punjab Police with the media is deplorable and reminds the colonial rule of the British when force was used to suppress the voice of justice.

Kang further said that Badal Government has crossed all limits of civilized and cultured handling of the problems of the people.

He warned the Government and its officers in strong words to refrain from unleashing their terror on Press instead of anti-national and anti-social activities of smuggling narcotics under the nose of the Akali functionaries openely carrying out their activities which is evident from the case of Parshotam Lal Sondhi which was nabbed by the Central agencies while the State agencies failed to smell  his nefarious designs.

Kang demanded that the Government should apologize from Press and order an independent  enquiry into this incident, immediately suspend the  guilty officers to restore faith of the people in Government and democratic norms.