Dalit anger simmers in Sardulgarh

Bharat Khanna

On October 10 last year, Dalit youth Sukhchain Singh of Sardulgarh’s Gharangna village was killed by alleged liquor smugglers. His crime? His employer, a liquor contractor, suspected that he was a police informer. One of the six accused is the son of an influential Akali sarpanch.

The state government promised Rs 7.5 lakh as compensation to Sukhchain’s family, but gave Rs 5 lakh. “Compensation can’t bring my brother back,” says Sukhvir Singh (19). He blames unemployment and hooliganism for Sukhchain’s fate: “Had he got a decent job, he would never have worked as a driver for the liquor contractor.”

Sukhvir is waiting to cast his ballot to vent his anger. The murder will weigh on the minds of SC voters who make up 34 per cent of the population in Mansa’s Sardulgarh segment.

The SAD has fielded Dilraj Singh Bhunder, son of Rajya Sabha member Balwinder Singh Bhunder. Dilraj had unsuccessfully contested the previous elections against Congress’ Ajit Inder Singh Mofar. Adding a third dimension to their face-off is AAP’s Sukhwinder Singh Bhola Mann.

The segment has been voting for a candidate from an Opposition party. In 1997, Mofar (then with SAD-Amritsar) had won the seat. In the next elections, Balwinder Singh won on the SAD ticket. In 2007 and 2012, Mofar won on the Congress ticket.

In the past decade, the shift in power centres resulted in a political tussle over a college. In 2006, when the Congress was in power, Karandi village had donated 60 acres for a college to Punjabi University, Patiala. The project was shelved after the party was voted out of power in 2007. Instead, Balraj Singh Bhunder Memorial University College was opened in 2008 in Sardulgarh.

Bikkarjit Singh of Sadhuwala village draws our attention to civic matters. “The dilapidated Sardulgarh-Mansa road, which has not been repaired for more than 20 years, poor school education, shortage of teachers and high crime rate are a cause for concern,” he says.

He raises another key issue: “The sewage of about 21 cities and towns of Punjab, and 22 towns of Haryana is released into the Ghaggar. Residents have not forgotten the promise to clean up the river.” Are the candidates listening?