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Ambala, Aug 13 (PTI): Police on Thursday evening resorted to tear gas and cane charge to restore traffic on Delhi-Amritsar National Highway after protesters blocked the road in Ambala demanding action against an anti-Khalistani terrorist front chief for attempting to run over some people with his car recently.

The vehicular traffic on the key NH44 was restored only after about six hours. About six cops were also injured as a police team was attacked during the operation to clear the highway blockade in Ambala Cantt, a Haryana police statement said.

The injured police personnel included DSP Virender Sharma, Constables Rakshit and Naveen Kumar, Head Constable Sandeep Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector Satish, and ASI Pankaj. Several other police personnel are also reported to have sustained injuries, it said.

Earlier, senior police officials held talks with the protesters in a bid to clear the highway, but they remained adamant, a police official said.

Some protesters even took away keys of a few trucks stuck in the blockade in a bid to prevent clearing of the highway, police said.

The Sikh community leaders were demanding a case be registered against International Anti-Khalistani Terrorist Front (IAKTF) Gursimran Singh Mand, alleging that he attempted to run over certain individuals with his car on August 5.

Despite assurances that an FIR would be registered against Mand, Sikh groups, who were also joined by some farmer groups, staged a protest on the highway.

The blockade led to massive traffic jams and police had to divert some traffic on alternate routes. Several vehicles, including trucks, got stranded for hours on the highway during the blockade.

Police said an FIR was registered under relevant provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Mand. However, the protesters remained firm on their other demand that no action be taken against the individuals accused of attacking Mand.

Mand was allegedly assaulted by a mob outside Gurudwara Shri Panjokhra Sahib in Ambala on the evening of August 5, in which he sustained minor injuries, and his car was damaged.

On August 8, several members of the Sikh community had held a dharna outside the Panjokhra police station here following detention of two Sikh youths in connection with the assault.

Before attempting to block the highway, several Sikhs from Haryana and Punjab gathered at Gurdwara Sri Panjokhra Sahib near Ambala city on Thursday, and held a meeting demanding action against Mand, the protesters said.

Representatives from various organisations were present at the meeting, including Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President Jagdish Singh Jhinda, who later joined the protesters on the highway.

A large police force was deployed around the Gurdwara, and barricades were erected. Later, the crowd reached the highway. Several farmers also began camping on the road in support of the Sikh groups, making preparations to serve food on the highway for the night, sources said.

When the protesters did not clear the road after the registration of the FIR against Mand, police used force and lobbed tear gas shells to drive the agitators away from the highway, allowing traffic to resume normally.

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Ajay Singhal visited the Military and Civil hospitals here to meet the injured police personnel, a police statement said.

Inspector General of Police Pankaj Nain, Deputy Commissioner Sachin Gupta and Sub Divisional Magistrate Kanika Goyal also visited the hospitals. PTI COR SUN AMJ AMJ

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)