Charge farm leaders with attempt to murder for thrashing Dalit youths: BSP

Sushil Goyal

Sangrur, June 14

In connection with the alleged beating up of two Dalit youths by some members of a farmer union, a deputation of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by state general secretaries Makhan Singh and Chamkaur Singh Veer met Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Palwinder Singh Cheema here today. For the meeting, fathers of the both youths also accompanied the deputation and submitted a representation to the SP.

Makhan Singh said the deputation demanded from the Sangrur SSP addition of Section 307 of the IPC into the FIR registered against farmer leaders — Manjit Singh, Jagtar Singh and others — under Sections 341, 323, 325, 148, 149 of the IPC and Section 3 (i) (X) of the SC/ST Act, 1989, Amendment 2022.

He further said the deputation also told the SP (Investigation) that Section 307 of the IPC had been added into the FIR registered against Dalit youths — Aman Singh from Balian village and Harjit Singh from Chathe Sekhwan village — only based on the statement of farmer leader Manjit Singh and without any investigation. So an independent inquiry into the case should be conducted to cancel the “false case” registered against the Dalit youths, he added.

Chamkaur Singh Veer said that if the police fails in providing justice to the Dalit youths till June 17, the BSP would launch a massive agitation in this regard.

On the other hand, BKU (Ugrahan) today announced to organise a ‘pucca morcha’ from June 17 at Sangrur to get justice for the farmer leaders. According to the union leaders, an attack was made on the son of farmer leader Manjit Singh with an aim to loot him during which he suffered serious injuries. People nearby caught the two attackers while Manjit Singh beat them up without knowing that to which caste they belong as a rumour had been spread that Manjit Singh’s son had been killed, the leaders claimed.

A senior leader of the farm body said that the union only wanted cancelation of the Section 3 (i) (X) of the SC/ST Act, 1989, Amendment 2022, in the FIR, registered against Manjit Singh, Jagtar Singh and others as it was not even in the knowledge of Manjit Singh that the youths, who had attacked his son, were Dalits.