Key demands met, protesters lift dharna at Lakhanpal village

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, January 30

Residents of Lakhanpal and neighbouring villages today lifted their dharna from the Jandiala-Phagwara road after the district administration agreed to address the demands of villagers, who had been protesting ever since the brutal murder of Nasha Virodhi Front actvist and AAP leader Ram Gopal on Saturday night.

The last rites of Ram Gopal were also conducted at the village today amid the presence of the key district administration, police officials as well as political leaders. The dharna was lifted after the district administration agreed to the key demands raised by the family members of the deceased and residents of Lakhanpal.

While the Jalandhar DC handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to the family as demanded, a resolution was also passed by the panchayat that the Government Primary School, Lakhanpal, will be renamed as Shaheed Ram Gopal, Government Primary School, Lakhanpal, after the deceased.

Members of the administration also agreed to the demand to provide a government job to a family member of the deceased and the provision of security to Ram Gopal’s family.

Meanwhile, as the police still remain on the lookout for the four of the six booked for the murder, Ram Gopal’s families and associates lifted the dharna after the administration and the DCP assured them of nabbing the remaining absconders soon.

On Sunday, the police arrested Radhey Shyam, the former sarpanch of Lakhanpal village (whose wife is the current sarpanch of the village) as well as an associate, Binder, for Ram Gopal’s murder.

Makhan Singh, sarpanch of the neighbouring Jandiala village and a long time associate of Ram Gopal said,“Not one but several times, we gave repeated complaints to the DC, Police Commissioner and other key officials that we could be harmed in view of repeated threats to Ram Gopal and the Nasha Virodhi Front by drug peddlers and men who had been threatening us. The key accused, Radhey Shyam, was among these men. We lifted the dharna today after the administration and police accepted the family’s key demands. The officials have also promised security to the family. We now await the arrest of the remaining four persons, who murdered Ram Gopal. Our activities under the Nasha Virodhi Front to root out drug abuse from the region will continue.”

Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh, AAP leaders Surinder Singh Sodhi and Rajwinder Kaur along with key district administration and police officials attended the last rites of Ram Gopal at the Lakhnpal village today.

Ram Gopal (50) was murdered by armed men who arrived in a black car on the night of January 28, when he had gone out with his brother-in-law Varinder Singh. Several men in the Innova intercepted him and attacked him with blunt wooden weapons. After an alarm was raised, the attackers fled the spot. Ram Gopal was taken to a private hospital in Jalandhar where he was declared brought dead.

The police had booked six persons - Lakkha, Sanju, Jeeta, Sandhu, Binder and Raman Kumar, all residents of Lakhanpal village in the case. An FIR was lodged against the accused at the Sadar police station in Jalandhar. Raman Kumar and Binder had been arrested by the police while the rest are still absconding.

Flourishing drug trade

Members of the Nasha Virodhi Front and village residents had been on dharna since Sunday, alleging that activist Ram Gopal was attacked for speaking out against the drug trade in his village. As many as 60 villages, which were fed up with the drug menace, formed the front only four months ago.

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