Jalandhar, November 1
The Punjab Human Right Commission (PHRC) has directed the Jalandhar (Rural) SSP to submit a comprehensive report regarding the torture of a man in Bhogpur police station. Justice Baldev Singh and LR Roozan, a member of the commission, directed SSP Ashish Chaudhary to report by November 28 and clear his position on the issue.

The PHRC had, earlier, also issued directions to Jalandhar Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav to clear his position why and how the incident occurred. Responding to the PHRC, the Police Commissioner, however, made it clear that the police station falls under the SSP’s (Rural) jurisdiction.

Taking up the cause of victim Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi Manak, a resident of Manak-Dheri village near Bhogpur, a Chandigarh-based Global Human Right Council had filed a complaint before the commission.

Chairperson of the organisation Arvind Thakur, while talking to The Tribune, said he had filed a complaint seeking explanations from the police why Gopi was detained and brutally tortured as he was not involved and wanted in any crime.

The council had also questioned why police did not inform Gopi’s family members before detaining him and why he was not provided medical facility.

Thakur said the organisation has taken a serious note of it and would leave no stone unturned to get him justice.

Meanwhile, a police party led by SP (D) Pushkar Sandal, today visited the house of the victim and recorded his statements. The police, however, failed to identify persons who recorded a MMS of Gopi while being tortured by the cops in Bhogpur police station.

SSP Ashish Chaudhary said Gopi in his statement to the police confessed to have hit a box of electricity meter hanging outside a house in the village in inebriated condition.

Since thieves had stolen a number of electricity meters, villagers took him to be a thief and detained him. The villagers then handed over him to the police, the SSP added.

Chaudhary said the report to the PHRC would be submitted as on the due date as the investigation in this regard is almost near to completion.

Hoshiarpur, November 1
After revoking of suspension of electrician Kulwant Singh, tubewell operators Kewal Lal Heer and Joginder Singh of Municipal Council (MC), Hoshiarpur, all the regular safai karamcharis and regular tubewell operators belonging to the local unit of Punjab Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangathan (PNPKS) called off their five-day strike here today.

People of the city heaved a sigh of relief as safai karamcharis called off the strike.

Earlier, the striking staff along with their leaders staged dharna before the office of MC in support of their demands, including revoking of suspension of employees and regularisation of services of all the part time and ad hoc employees.

After negotiating with the leaders of PNPKS and Municipal Ministerial Staff Union (MMSU), the Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, Romesh Kumar, came to agitating employees and announced the revoking of suspension of employees, following which the striking employees called off their stir. They would resume their duties tomorrow.

On regularising the services of ad hoc and part-time employees, Romesh Kumar said a case in this regard had already been sent to the state government for approval.

President of the MMSU Ravinder Thakur said though the suspended employees had beaten up accountant of the MC Ram Parkash, keeping in view the inconvenience to the people in the festival season, activists of MMSU did not oppose the decision.

Jalandhar, November 1
On the fourth and the last day of the 19th “Mela Ghadari Babeya Daa”, the resolution condemning the apathy of the Union Government in maintaining the San Francisco-located “Yugantar Ashram”, the first office of the Ghadar Party, which was donated by the party to the Government of India after Independence, was passed by Darbara Singh Dhillon, acting president of Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Committee (DBYC).

A souvenir based on the works and ideology of members of Naujwan Bharat Sabha was also released jointly by Naunihal Singh, Comrade Jagjit Singh Layalpuri and Comrade Gurmit Singh, all of DBYC. Earlier, Raminder Singh Patiala, the youngest member of DBYC, conducted the flag hoisting ceremony. Dharampura, village of Pandit Kashori Lal, who one remained close aide of Bhagat Singh, Dev Raj Nayyar and Sita Ram Bansal were honoured for their services. Noted scholar Prof Harish K Puri threw light on the history of the Ghadar movement.

In a panel discussion, Dr Gautam Navlakha, consultant editor, Economic and Political Weekly, said earlier the wars were fought on the borders however, nowadays, the government is at war with its own people with in the boundaries of country. He said even the democratic voices in the country were being oppressed by branding them ‘Maoists’ or ‘terrorists’.