Gurdaspur, April 26
The general manager of the Paniar Co-Operative Sugar Mill was placed under suspension after relatives and colleagues of Harjeet Singh, an employee of Paniar Co-Operative Sugar Mill, who had committed suicide "blaming the GM and two reporters of a private TV channel", tried to take out protests for the second consecutive day here today.

Harjeet Singh, also the president of the Gurdaspur District Sugar Mill Mazdoor Union, committed suicide after being allegedly harassed by BS Jaffal, general manager of the mill, and the two reporters.

The deceased's relatives blocked vehicular traffic on the GT Road near Dak Khana Chowk yesterday to protest against the "whimsical attitude of the GM whose behaviour led to the death of Harjeet Singh."

The suicide note recovered from the deceased blamed the GM and two private TV channel reporters for his death.

Today, the protestors led by Gurmeet Singh Bakhatpura, state president of the Indian Federation for Trade Union (IFTU), decided to block traffic, but some steady negotiations by Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha, SDM Tejinder Pal Singh Sandhu and DSP Manoj Thakur with the deceased's relatives ensured that the protestors took back their decision to impede the flow of traffic in the town.

SSP Ravcharan Singh acted swiftly and dispatched DSP Manoj Thakur to open negotiations with the kin while the DC engaged other protestors and urged them to cremate the body after giving them assurance that the mill's general manager would be immediately placed under suspension.

The DC also assured them that either the wife or daughter of Harjeet Singh would be given a job in the mill.

"A compensation package was also worked out and the money, the amount of which has yet to be decided, will be handed over to the kin before the bhog ceremony of Harjeet Singh," commented a senior officer.

Later in the afternoon, the body of Harjeet Singh was cremated at his native village Nardan, near Dinanagar.

Officials developed cold feet early in the day when reports filtered in that employees of co-operative sugar mills at Nawanshahr, Bhogpur, Ajnala and Morinda would also be joining the protests. However, the employees decided to stay away once truce was brokered between Harjit Singh's relatives and district officials.

A senior police official claimed that the GM and the two TV reporters, who have been named in the FIR, would be nabbed soon.

"Interestingly, the deceased, on April 20, had written to senior police officials, including DIG (Border Range) and Gurdaspur SSP, about the shocking treatment being meted out to him by the GM, but all his pleas fell on deaf ears," claimed Gurmeet Singh Bakhatpura.