Jalandhar: Cousin murdered, Manjit enters fray to end gang violence, drug abuse

Seven years after his cousin was murdered by gangsters, 36-year-old Manjit Singh will contest the zila parishad election from Jalandhar’s Apra zone with an aim to end gang violence and drug abuse in his area.

In 2018, Ram Sarup, who ran a tyre shop at Apra village, was knived to death by some men after he object to the thrashing of a vendor and harassment of schoolgirls.

Manjit waged a continuous battle to get justice in the case. The accused were finally arrested and the case is currently being heard in a court. He says their fight to secure justice turned into a mission when his brother Vinay was elected sarpanch recently.

A member of the BSP, Manjit Singh says, “Pehlan sade pind vich aam bande di koi zindagi nahi si (Earlier, ordinary people didn’t have a life in our village). About a decade ago, girls going to school or college couldn’t move around freely without being harassed.”

“Commuters and shopkeepers were harassed and drug abuse was rampant due to a local gang. My cousin Ram Sarup objected to excesses of some men connected with gangsters when they beat up a vendor. He also spoke up when they harassed girls outside schools,” he added.

He said this resulted in constant attacks on his family members. In 2018, seven-eight men armed with knives murdered Ram Sarup at his shop. “Till date, we are fighting these ills,” Manjit said. Manjit adds, “Some of the accused are in jail while others are still out on bail. The village has seen about a dozen drug cases in the past two years. My policy is clear, even if my relative is caught selling drugs, I will tell the police. I've told all, including friends and relatives, that drug cases and corruption won’t be tolerated.”

Stressing the importance of the elections, Manjit says he decided to contest the polls only to ensure that other people did not undergo what he had experienced.

“After becoming a sarpanch, my brother my brother freed panchayat land from encroachers. I plan similar measures in the parishad. These elections are crucial to ensure right governance at the grassroots level,” he says.