Labourers protest as financier takes away tractor of deceased worker

Garhshankar, April 24

The body of a migrant labourer was recovered from bushes at a vacant plot near Anand Nagar in Ward No. 8 of the Garhshankar town.

On the statement of the wife of the deceased, the police registered a case of murder against the unidentified accused. On the other hand, in the midst of all this, workers of a financier took away a tractor from Hari Ram’s house. Irked over it, migrant labourers blocked a road at the Chandigarh Chowk by keeping the body there. The jam was cleared after the DSP assured them that the tractor would be brought back.

Hari Ram was found dead in the bushes near Anand Nagar. There were bruises on his head and blood marks on his nails. The deceased was a resident of Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh and had been living with his family at a field in Kullewal village. The land was owned by Balveer Singh of Panam village.

Preeti, the wife of the deceased, told the policethat her husband used to do farming on Balveer Singh’s land, which he had taken on a contract. On April 22, at 7 pm, he had gone on his motorcycle to water the maize crop in the fields of Bagwai village. But he did not return home and his mobile was switched off.

After a day-long search, last evening, Ram’s motorcycle was found parked along the wall of the tubewell room in a field owned by Mohan Singh, in Bagwai village. His body was found in the bushes. The police registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC. Sub-Inspector Kuldeep Singh said, “After getting the post-mortem done, the dead body was handed over to the heirs. There is a possibility of murder but the investigation is still going on. The whole matter will be disclosed only after the investigation.”

Employees of the financier took away the tractor, and angry relatives staged a sit-in.

Hari Ram used to do farming by taking land on contract. He had obtained a tractor for the same which was financed by the financier of Nawanshahar. As soon as the financier got the news of Ram’s death, his henchmen took away the tractor parked in the house of the deceased. Angered by this, the family members along with others blocked the Chandigarh Chowk by placing the body on the spot. The kin also accused the police of having a negligent attitude. DSP Daljit Singh Khakh reached the spot and assured the kin of the deceased that the tractor would be returned, after which the agitators lifted the blockade.