M A I N   N E W S

New claimant to haveli treasure
DIG orders inquiry
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 29
The recent discovery of a treasure from a haveli at Ghungrana village, 25 km from here, in which a labourer accused of stealing some of the unearthed jewellery was brutally tortured, had taken a curious turn with a Panchkula-based woman, a relative of former Punjab DGP K.P.S. Gill, staking claim to the precious ornaments.

Dr Shivinder Kaur Dhillon, Medical Officer, Guru Nanak Public School, Chandigarh, claims that the treasure was found from a haveli owned by her. She says she is involved in a property dispute with her uncle, Mr Harbaksh Dhillon, who lives in the village and had reportedly discovered the treasure.

The DIG, Ludhiana, Mr Suresh Arora, has ordered a high-level inquiry into the case. The inquiry to be conducted by a police officer of SP rank of Jagraon police district will look into the claims and counter-claims on the discovered treasure as well as the dubious role played by the police in the entire episode.

Mr K.P.S. Gill is a member of the family concerned, most of whose members had illustrious career with the Indian and British defence forces. The oldest living member is Ms Devinder Kaur, an elder sister of Mr Harbaksh Dhillon and an aunt of Ms Dhillon. Talking to this correspondent over the phone from her residence in Delhi, the elderly woman claimed the portion of the haveli from which the treasure was said to have been discovered, belonged to Dr Shivinder Kaur. She said the family had immense wealth that was stored in large copper pitchers buried underground.

She said the claimant was the granddaughter of Mr Sultan Singh, a high-ranking officer in the British police. Mr Harbaksh Singh is the nephew of Mr Sultan Singh. With the division of property the controversial haveli was allotted to Dr Shivinder Kaur who has lodged a complaint with the police.

Mr Arora said the inquiry would verify the claims. The Tribune had carried a report on the discovery of the treasure and the alleged torture of a youth in this connection. The new claimants came to know about the treasure only after the publication of the report.

The police had allegedly not only brutally tortured a youth of Ghungrana village on the charge of stealing jewellery, but also repeatedly tried to suppress the unearthing of the gold. Even senior police officers were kept unaware of any development whereas they are supposed to be briefed daily about the crime incidents in their areas concerned.

The police has also been accused of ‘pocketing’ some amount from various persons concerned in the case. Under the rules, any discovery of treasure has to be reported to the government. The rules state that any treasure found more than 3.5 feet under the earth belongs to the government. However, no official of the district administration was informed in this case.

The police also did not registered a formal case against the youth. Under such circumstances, his detention in the Dehlon police station early this month becomes illegal. The police did not got his medical examination done either.

The discovery of treasure has become the talk of Ghungrana and neighbouring villages. A visit to the village revealed it was more than 100 years old. A number of improvised havelis as well as crumbling structures can be still seen in the village. Villagers say the haveli owners were very wealthy. The jewellery they possessed was brought from several parts of the country and abroad.

The village is also the native place of noted writer Piara Singh Padam, who has in some of his works given details about the wealthy families.