The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken a firm stance on the suicide of a laborer in Sangrur who confronted Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over the drug issue, and demands for a CBI investigation have gained momentum.
New Delhi: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday summoned a detailed status report from the Punjab government regarding the suicide of Dalit laborer Gulzar Singh. The court scheduled the next hearing for October 6th and directed the state government to submit complete details of the investigation. While emphasizing the need for a fair investigation, the division bench also questioned how, based on the current circumstances and facts, the state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema could be implicated in the case.
The court’s direction came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the chief spokesperson of the Scheduled Caste wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal. The petitioner has questioned the functioning of the Punjab Police and demanded that the investigation be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or another independent agency.
An FIR in this matter is currently registered at the Didba police station in Sangrur district. The case has been filed under Section 108 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, naming five local residents, including the village sarpanch.
According to the petition, the entire controversy began on September 6th when Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema visited Turbanjara village in Sangrur to lay the foundation stone for development projects. During this event, Gulzar Singh expressed his anguish over his son’s drug addiction and directly questioned the minister about the spread of ‘chitta’ (synthetic drugs) in the area.
It is alleged that following this incident, police personnel arrived at Gulzar Singh’s home that evening and questioned him. Following this, the panchayat members threatened him and used casteist slurs against him.
On September 7th, the Panchayat reportedly summoned Gulzar Singh and put him under intense pressure to apologize unconditionally to the minister. Hurt by this humiliation and pressure, he consumed poison. The next day, on September 8th, he died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Ludhiana.
His family alleges that the administration hastily cremated his body without their consent. The family and the petitioner claim that Gulzar Singh, in his video-recorded dying declaration, had blamed Minister Cheema and the village sarpanch for his death.
This incident has created a major political storm across Punjab. The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Shiromani Akali Dal have united and are continuously demanding the resignation of Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
Recently, Congress leaders organized a large protest march towards the minister’s residence in Chandigarh, which the police had to disperse using water cannons. Meanwhile, National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman Kishore Makwana also visited Sangrur and met with the victim’s family, assuring them of justice.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News