Kin paid Rs10 lakh, villagers lift dharna

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Channu (Lambi), December 12

Angry villagers today torched the bus involved in an accident that resulted in the death of a minor girl last evening. 

The bus belonged to New Deep Transport owned by SAD’s Gidderbaha constituency in charge Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon. The protesters also smashed the windowpanes of another bus of same transport.

The protest ended in a compromise with the family of the deceased getting Rs 10 lakh as compensation.

Earlier, the protesters accused the police of forcibly taking away the body of Arshdeep Kaur (12) after opening fire in the air.

The police, however, claimed that they opened fire after the protesters went berserk and set the bus on fire. They said the protesters pelted them with stones and injured an SHO and two constables.

Shivraj Singh, girl’s father, alleged: “The police forcibly took away the body of my daughter from the road where we had held a dharna. A policeman dragged the body on the road before putting it on a van. We demand action against the bus driver and the policemen involved in this inhuman act.”

During the day, a number of leaders, including AAP’s Faridkot MP Prof Sadhu Singh and Indian Youth Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, joined the protest. They demanded a case of murder be registered against the bus owner.

Deputy Commissioner Basant Garg, SSP Kuldeep Chahal, GS Romana, DSP, Talwandi Sabo and Bikkar Singh Channu, an SGPC member, held a meeting with the family members of the deceased in their house. 

Channu said: “The family has been paid Rs 10 lakh. Of which, Rs 5 lakh has been paid from the Chief Minister’s funds and the remaining from other sources.” 

The girl’s cremation was held in the village in the evening. Girdaur Singh, maternal uncle of the deceased, said: “We have been paid Rs 7.5 lakh cash of Rs 10 lakh promised. The dharna has been lifted on the condition that no case will be registered against the protesters.”

3 FIRs registered

Despite assuring the family that no case will be registered against the protesters, the police lodged two cases against them at Lambi police station, besides booking the bus driver in a separate case. 

Driver arrested

Muktsar SSP Kuldeep Chahal claimed that just one case was registered that too against the bus driver who had been arrested. 

Who paid money?

Even as the bereaved family claimed to have received Rs 7.5 lakh of Rs 10 lakh promised, neither the administration nor bus owner Dimpy Dhillon admitted to have paid any money. Basant Garg, Deputy Commissioner, said: "We have not paid any money. If rules permit, we will provide them financial help." Dhillon said: "They were demanding Rs 25 lakh, but I refused."

AAP leader hurt

Narinderjit Singh Naati, AAP's Lambi circle president, was injured during the protest. He said: "I was filming the incident when cops opened fire. I was hurt in the melee."