Five days after the alleged police lathicharge on protesting sanitation workers in Barnala, politicians from opposition parties continued to flock to the town on Monday, with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and state president of Bahujan Samaj party (BSP) Avtar Singh Karimpuri visiting the injured and extending support to the ongoing agitation.Earlier, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, SAD (Punar Surjeet) leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) leader Tarsem Singh Khalsa, father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, had also visited the protest site.The opposition leaders condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the police action and assured the protesters that if their parties came to power in the state, they would register criminal cases against the policemen allegedly involved in the lathicharge.Addressing the sanitation workers, Sukhbir Badal said an attempt to murder case would be registered against the policemen once the SAD returned to power. He also accused the police of helping the ruling AAP during the recently held municipal elections and claimed that sanitation workers were regularised during the previous SAD government, but they received nothing from the present regime.Sukhbir said that the SAD would give 50 kg of ‘atta’ (wheat flour) at Rs 2 per kg, besides providing pulses to per family per month, and also increase the shagun amount for weaker sections of society to Rs 1 lakh.Referring to the Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal in Amritsar, Sukhbir said the SAD government had undertaken its beautification. He further targeted the state government over the alleged paper leak cases and demanded the resignation of the minister concerned, saying that if the Union Education Minister could resign, the Punjab Education Minister should also be held accountable for the “six paper leak incidents in the state”.Meanwhile, Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Barnala Mayor Hasanpreet Bhardwaj have condemned the police action. However, the sanitation workers dismissed their statements as an eyewash, saying the two leaders had spoken only after realising that the protesters were not backing down from their demands.The protesters continue to demand the dismissal of then Barnala DSP Satvir Singh, who has been suspended, and then Barnala City-1 SHO Lakhwinder Singh, who has been transferred to the police lines, registration of a criminal case against the policemen involved in the alleged assault, and fulfilment of their long-pending demands, including regularisation of services.Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh and SSP Mohd Sarfaraz Alam visited the Civil Hospital today and asked the injured workers to give their statements to the police. Some of the workers, however, said they would first discuss the matter with their union.Further, a campaign has started on social media in support of the police, with some users arguing that the personnel had acted in difficult circumstances during the protest.Gulshan Kumar, district president of the Safai Sewak Union, Barnala, said the union remained firm on its call for a Punjab bandh on July 30 and would continue the agitation until justice was delivered to the injured workers and action was taken against the officials concerned.Notably, 18 sanitation workers and four policemen were reportedly injured when clashes erupted on July 22 after the district administration, with police assistance, began lifting garbage during the sanitation workers’ strike. The workers opposed the move near SD College, where the police allegedly resorted to a lathicharge. Later, when protesters gathered at Handiaya Bazar and allegedly hurled garbage at the police, another round of lathicharge reportedly followed.The sanitation workers had already been on strike, demanding regularisation and raising several other issues, with garbage continuing to accumulate across the city.An injured worker underwent surgery for a fractured arm at the hospital today.