Zaffarwal(Gurdaspur), January 23
‘‘Hurry up, hurry up’’. This is how ex-soldier Charan Singh, sporting a white turban and wearing a creamish jacket over snowwhite ‘‘kurta-pajama’’, calls the local village boys to board a truck bearing the flags of a particular party. Another village elder, Mr Chaman Lal, assists him. And the boys, obeying his command, gleefully jump into the truck.
This is a scene in this village, the very name of which used to create fear in the minds of people of the state until recently. This is the village of Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, one of the most dreaded terrorists in the 1980s and 90s and then head of the most ruthless terrorist outfit. Wassan Singh hit the headlines in recent months following his mysterious appearance, which some call a stage-managed drama, in Punjab. He had been staying in Switzerland for the past few years.
There is not an iota of fear on the faces of the electorate in the village. Seemingly jubilant, they make the atmosphere lively by shouting slogans in support of a particular candidate.
In fact, the entire village hums with election-related activity. On one side are supporters of the Akali candidate, Mr Sucha Singh Langah, who are busy mobilising people to be part of his convoy. And a few metres away, supporters of the Congress candidate, Mr Salamat Messiah, are engaged in transporting people in trucks and other vehicles to Dhariwal to be part of Messiah's cavalcade.
Terrorists, terrorism and their protagonists appear to have evidently become irrelevant in the prevailing political and electoral scenario in Punjab. People are taking part in the electioneering with great fervour. There is no visible Hindu-Sikh divide in the countryside.
There were times when terrorists used to dictate terms to politicians and their organisations. They used to set the agenda for political parties, especially the ones which prefer to identify themselves as Panthic parties. At the instance of terrorist outfits, the Akalis stayed away from the election process for quite some time. But it is history now. Punjab has returned to the normal political and electoral process.
Along with Wassan Singh, several others had joined the ranks of the terrorists from this village, one of the biggest with a population of over 6,000 and 3,500 voters. Some have been killed in police encounters while others have joined the mainstream.
About 20 residents of the village, including some Hindus, were killed by terrorists. Certain Hindu families left the village to settle elsewhere but some of the Hindu families stayed back despite the grave situation. One of them is of Mr Chaman Lal, who has remained a member of the village panchayat for 25 years.
Both Mr Chaman Lal and Mr Charan Singh, who served as a bodyguard of Netaji Subhas Chander Bose in Germany in 1945, say there is a complete harmony in the village. ‘‘You see for yourself the flurry of activity, especially among the youth, who are eager to be a part of the election process’’, says another youth standing nearby.
Mr Narinder Kumar and Mr Manjit Singh of Dhariwal, Mr Kuldeep Singh and Mr Balwinder Singh of Athwal village, near here, Mr Mohinder Lal of Quadian and several others of this area, which at one time was infested by terrorists, echo Mr Charan Singh's observations.
After talking to village elders, this correspondent moved to the ‘‘dera’’of Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, who is lodged in a Jalandhar jail at present. His ‘‘dera’’ is located in a cluster of about five houses at a distance of about half a kilometre from the village. The ‘‘dera’’, without any front wall, resembles the house of any poor farmer in the state.
His father was away to Dhariwal, perhaps, to be part of Mr Langah's convoy. ‘‘We have always voted for the Panth (Akalis) since the formation of Punjabi suba’’, says Mrs Balwinder Kaur, wife of Wassan Singh's brother. ‘‘Even my father-in-law took part in the Punjabi Suba morcha and also went to jail for it,’’ she asserts.
Wassan Singh's wife, Mrs Darshan Kaur, says that their family got no benefit from the government. Even Wassan Singh's brother employed in a nearby cooperative sugarmill is working as a ‘‘kutcha’’ (ad hoc) employee for the past 15 years. Wassan Singh's two other brothers are truck drivers in other states. Wassan Singh never supported the family in any manner, she asserts.
At a short distance from here is Kuhar village. Tarsem Singh Kuhar, another dreaded terrorist, who was killed in a police encounter, belonged to Kuhar village. The people of this village too are also active in the electioneering. The same is the story of several other villages where a number of youths were involved in militancy a few years ago.
