|
Martyr Darshan Singh’s son joins
Punjab Police
WSN Network
LUDHIANA:
Even as the
Parkash Singh Badal government sensed the rising tide of Sikh anger,
it scurried around to soothe a few nerves. Before panthic bodies
could gather for the bhog of martyr Darshan Singh Lohara, who was
killed in police firing, the state government was quick to recruit
his elder son Gurpreet Singh into the ranks of Punjab Police as a
constable.
“My
medical and other physical tests were done in
Ludhiana
itself on December 7. I will be posted in
Ludhiana,”
Gurpreet, 21, said. The move was to prevent the family from becoming
a face of the panthic movement against Badal for helping out
Ashutoshia sect.
The government
even relaxed a few rules to accommodate Gurpreet Singh who fell
short on physical norms required for a constable.
Representatives
of panthic bodies gathered at the bhog ceremony of Darshan Singh
last Monday urged the family to return the government compensation
but the family refused saying after the initial groundswell, little
care is taken of such families. There was some food for thought when
Darshan Singh’s family members said that Parminder Kaur, widowed in
similar circumstances when the latter’s husband Kamaljeet Singh was
killed in a conflict with the Dera Sacha Sauda, had told them that
even though she was promised a lot of things at the time of her
husband’s death, two years on, the promises are yet to be fulfilled.
R P Singh, the spokesperson of the Akhand Keertani Jatha, said, “We
have requested the family to return the government aid and if they
do so, we will give them more aid and ensure jobs for both the sons.
We are even
ready to send these boys abroad if they want to go.” However, this
timew the panthic bodies seemed to be going all out to help the
family. Before the Bhog function ended, nearly Rs 40 lakh in
compensation was paid to the family of the poor auto-rickshaw
driver. The money came in from the government as well as radical
Sikh organisations. While Minister Hira Singh Gabria gave Rs 5 lakh,
the SGPC handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh and promised “any other
help needed”. In the afternoon, Sikh leaders walked in. The
UK
cell of Dal Khalsa, Akhand Kirtani Jatha and the Sikh Federation
together contributed Rs 5 lakh; Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management
Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna gave Rs 2.5 lakh; Damdami
Taksal Rs 50,000; Ranjit Singh Dhadriana Rs 1 lakh; and a
France-based Sikh body gave Rs 1 lakh. There were also many other
organizations that gave varying amounts of money to Darshan Singh’s
family.
16
December 2009 |
Read Also