M A I N   N E W S

‘Not the slap, but brazenness of sarpanch is hurting’
Victim Varinder Kaur says she is getting threatening calls, vows to fight for justice
Archit Watts/TNS

Gidderbaha, December 6
“It’s not the physical pain of the slap that hurts me. What hurts me is the brazenness of the Akali Sarpanch, Balwinder Singh Toti, who hit me and humiliated me in public without bothering about our decades of loyalty to the Shiromani Akali Dal and its leader, Parkash Singh Badal”, says Varinder Pal Kaur, the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) teacher, whose victimisation by the arrogant Akali leader has evoked sharp reactions with even icons like Shah Rukh Khan dubbing it as “disgusting”.

“My grandfather and uncle had gone to jail in 1971 (during Emergency) and again in 1982 for this party but all that is meaningless today”, she said while showing scores of photographs of her family members with senior Akali leaders, including Parkash Singh Badal.

Alleging that she was getting threatening calls from Toti’s associates for reaching a compromise, the brave girl said she’ll continue with her agitation and protest at Chief Minister’s Sangat Darshan at her village tomorrow. “Toti should be arrested and all the policemen who stood there as mute spectators suspended”, she demanded.

Disappointment and disgust writ large on her face, Varinder Pal Kaur recalled how five years ago Parkash Singh Badal had attended the funeral of her grandfather. “Even in my wildest of dreams, I couldn’t ever think of such a treatment being meted out to me”, she said adding that she was not scared of the threats from Toti or his associates.

“When my family and I can fight and go to jail for the Akali Dal, we very well know how to protect ourselves and deal with such people”, she said adding that she will continue her fight till the end.