Won’t be cowed, says Jalandhar girl’ s grandpa

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 28

Kanwaljeet Singh, grandfather of Gurmehar Kaur who has been facing hate messages and rape threats on the social media, today said he was not intimidated by the threats. “What harm can these trollers do to my granddaughter? They can kill her at the most. So what? We, who have faced the martyrdom of our young son, are bold enough to withstand any eventuality. My son was martyred on August 6, 1999, after killing 26 men on the enemy side,” he told the media here.

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He said he stood by his granddaughter's statement. "I am shocked at the treatment meted out to a martyr’s daughter. There is a campus fight going on. This young girl has something to say on the issue. At least, hear her out patiently. Is this the tribute the country is paying to my son’s martyrdom?”

Blaming the BJP for the trolling, he alleged when his son was killed the then BJP government did not even ensure that they were issued ID cards. "Today when my granddaughter is being victimised and branded anti-national, it is again the BJP in power,” Kanwaljeet said.

Gurmehar’s paternal uncle Davinder Singh, who teaches English at a Nakodar college, said Gurmehar was mature enough to have said what she wanted to. " I am a little upset over the discussion on the place, date and time of my brother’s martyrdom. We as a family stand by Gurmehar.”

A worried Rajwinder Kaur said she wanted the controversy around her daughter to end. "My daughter's security is an issue bigger than any other,” she said.

“No statements from me, my family or my behalf. I request to be given privacy. Thank you,” Gurmehar tweeted. She later closed her Facebook account.