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Jat youth, Dalit
girl die in police station in CM's town
WSN Network
LAMBI: In Punjab Chief Minister
Prakash Singh Badal's home town Lambi, a Jat Sikh youth and a Dalit
girl from Punjaban village in Lambi block committed suicide right
inside the police station by consuming poison after villagers
opposed their inter-caste marriage and handed them over to the
police.
Jagga Singh (26) and Ranjit Kaur (22)
had eloped on the night of June 3 and 4 but returned to the village
after the police allegedly put pressure on his parents. Ostensibly
in love, the two wanted to tie the knot for a long time but their
relationship was vehemently opposed by the girl’s father, who
married her off against her wishes, villagers said
Ranjit was married to Gurmail Singh
of Nehianwale Kothe in Bathinda about three months ago.She confided
about her relationship with Jagga and Gurmail told her parents about
it
Meanwhile, the couple eloped and remained at various places.
Following a phone call from father Sukhchain Singh apprising Jagga
about the police pressure, he decided to return to the village on
Monday evening
The family and villagers reportedly
assured them to honour their relationship but the villagers later
presented them before the police at Lambi and the two allegedly
consumed poison.They were rushed to a private hospital at Bathinda
in a critical condition, where they died at 8 pm. Ranjit had wedding
bangles on.
The villagers “promised us marriage,
but exerted pressure through police.We consumed poison to escape the
disgrace at the hands of the police, relatives and villagers”, Jagga
Singh told the media, moments before his death.
Lambi SHO said the father of the
girl, Dharma Singh, had lodged a complaint a day earlier but the
Lambi police had no role to play as the couple eloped from the area
falling under Bathinda police district. He added that police had
recorded the statements of the family and investigations were on.
10
June 2009
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