Amritsar, April 25
The tall claims of the SGPC having launched a campaign against drug addiction and liquor notwithstanding, several family members of leaders of the ruling party continue to be “patit”.
The ruckus created by Amarpal Singh Ajnala, an MBBS student at the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Dass Medical College and Research, after consuming liquor on the hostel premises has vindicated the “open letter” of Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar, Takht Damdama Sahib, that many family members of the SGPC and the SAD were “patit”. Amarpal Singh’s father, Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala is a Cabinet minister and the district president of the SAD (Rural).
Earlier, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar, Akal Takht, and Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar, Keshgarh Sahib, in a joint press statement had charged the ruling party with having failed to curb the menace of drug addiction. Dr U.S. Dhaliwal, Principal, Guru Ram Dass Medical College, has admitted that the preliminary inquiry had pointed out that Amarpal and his friends had consumed liquor and harrassed fellow students.
Jathedar Vedanti had also refused to present a siropa to the son of late Balbir Singh Naushehra Pannu, a former Senior Vice-President, at the bhog ceremony of the latter due to his (Pannu’s son) being a “patit”.
Meanwhile, Dr Dhaliwal said the three-member inquiry committee constituting Dr D.S. Dhariwal, Dr Gurjit Singh and Dr Narinder Singh began the inquiry today. He said the inquiry report would be submitted within a week.
Parents of the opposite group of students have, however, claimed that their children were teetotallers. They alleged that Amarpal Singh was a day scholar and he had entered the hostel premises at midnight by “intimidating” security staff. They alleged that the minister’s son woke up the other students and started ragging them. However, Amarpal claimed that he was “innocent” and it was a “deep-rooted conspiracy” to defame him when the elections were round the corner.
Though, Amarpal admitted that he rarely attended his classes due to his “busy political schedule”, college sources alleged he was an average student. He was “detained” by the then Principal, Dr Cheema, due to a shortage of lectures but he managed to appear in the examinations due to his “political connections”. At one time, he “got blank” in some papers, however he surprised everybody by scoring excellent marks in next examination. Since Dr Cheema had detained him, he had to part with his post, the sources alleged.
Amarpal also got admission through the NRI quota. A writ is still pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against him. Interestingly, Amarpal has not paid his full fees yet.
