Suicide triggers protest

Gagandeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 22

Hundreds of BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) activists today blocked the Rampura-Talwandi Sabo road. They were seeking registration of a case against a sub-inspector and another person who allegedly forced a farmer, Bhupinder Singh, to commit suicide a couple of days ago.

The kin of the deceased have refused to cremate the body till the “erring policeman” is booked. The body is still in the mortuary of civil hospital, Rampura Phul.

In his suicide note, Bhupinder of Mandi Kalan has accused a policeman and another individual of harassing him in connection with a case registered under the NDPS Act.

The Bathinda police deployed a large number of policemen near the protest site. Commuters heading to Takht Shri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Maur faced a lot of inconvenience due to the road blockade.

Baldev Singh Sandhu, district BKU president, and other farmer leaders said the protest would continue till the police initiate action against the sub-inspector. They warned that they would block the Bathinda-Chandigarh highway if action was not taken by tomorrow.

Bhupinder Singh had committed suicide on Monday after accusing an SI and another individual of demanding money. The sub-inspector was the investigating officer in the case in which Bhupinder was arrested under the NDPS Act in March last year.

But his brother Parhlad Singh claimed that Bhupinder was innocent. The SSP had marked an inquiry to Maur DSP Davinder Singh who had found his brother innocent and his name had been dropped from the case, he claimed.

The AAP also extended support to the protest. Maur MLA Jagdev Singh Kamalu said a case must be registered against the policeman. Bathinda SSP Naveen Singla said an investigation was on and they were examining the role of the SI. He clarified that Bhupinder had not been chargesheeted by the police, but was only summoned by the court.