Factory fire victims’ kin demand ~20 lakh, jobs

Tribune News Service

Barnala, December 5

A day after three employees of Bansal Industries, near Ugoke, were burnt alive in a fire inside the factory, their relatives supported by BKU Ugrahan and BKU Dakaunda today started a protest.

They are demanding Rs 20 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased and a government job. They said they would block the Barnala-Moga road on Thursday if the administration failed to fulfil their demands.

The bodies of all three deceased — Jagjeet Singh (24), Sikander Singh (25) and Sadhu Singh (27) — are lying at Barnala civil hospital. The authorities could not conduct the post-mortem as the victims’ relatives refused to give consent without the acceptance of their demands.

“Three main earning hands of three families have lost their lives in the factory fire. But the Barnala administration is offering a financial compensation of just Rs 1 lakh, which is not acceptable. The state government must give a government job to a family member of each deceased and Rs 20 lakh compensation,” said Satnam Singh Diwana, district adviser, BKU Ugrahan.

The police said they had already booked factory owners Vijay Bansal, Varinder Kumar, Jatin Singla and Dimple Dhawan. “We are conducting raids to arrest them, said Shamsher Singh, SHO, Sehna police station.