Naruana villagers protest, seek cancellation of FIR

Sameer Singh

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 30

A day after seven persons were booked by the Sadar police for allegedly blackening the face of a suspected drug seller in Naruana village, sarpanch of the village Teja Singh, former gangster Kulbir Naruana, along with scores of residents, staged a protest in front of the District Administrative Complex here on Thursday. They demanded cancellation of the FIR against them and action against those involved in supplying drugs in their area.

Residents of Naruana village reached the administration complex around 11 am. They carried out a protest march and entered the premises of the complex. The protesters also raised slogans against the Sadar police officials.

Later, they met Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bathinda Range, MF Farooqui and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nanak Singh and demanded cancellation of the FIR against the residents of the village. They said the officials had assured them of the same.

Talking to Bathinda Tribune, Kulbir Naruana said, “Since drug peddlers are quite active in our village and surrounding areas, we have formed a village-level committee to keep a regular watch on them. We had nabbed three persons with drugs and syringes on Monday but two of them managed to flee with the contraband. We informed the police but instead of arresting the person nabbed by us, they registered a case against me and six residents of the village”.

Notably, the Bathinda Sadar police had registered a case against seven persons, including Kulbir Naruana, for allegedly blackening the face of a person. They villagers had uploaded a video of the act on social media too.

Ranvir Singh, a resident of Jodhpur Romana village, was nabbed by the residents of the village. He, however, has lodged a complaint, stating that he, along with his friends, was going to a relative’s house when Kulvir Naruana and village sarpanch Teja Singh, along with some persons, nabbed him outside a vend at the village bus stand. They alleged that Ranvir was involved in selling drugs in the village, thus affecting the lives of youth.

A duel ensued, during which Ranvir’s associates fled the spot while the sarpanch took the former to his house, blackened his face and recorded a video. Later, they uploaded the video on social media to defame him. Police officials, however, said no drugs were seized from the possession of Ranvir.