Jalandhar: No money to fight case, labourer’s son languishes in Armenia jail

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, July 7

Ajay, a 23 year-old from Sangatpur village in Shahkot, is still reportedly lying in a jail in Armenia. Last month, the issue of 12 Indians lodged in an Armenia jail was highlighted in these columns when the victims’ families approached Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal.

Ajay’s brother Baljinder Singh said while most of the prisoners were already out, his brother was still lodged in the jail even after four months. “We will have to arrange a lawyer there and pay Rs 1 lakh to him to fight his case. Only then he could be out. But we have no money and are dependent on our relatives,” he said.

Ajay had gone to Armenia for work so that he could take his family out of poverty. The family had spent Rs 3 lakh to send Ajay to Armenia by taking loans. While Surjit Singh, Ajay’s father, was still thinking how to return the loan, the news of his son getting caught came as another jolt.

As per information, Ajay along with others was reportedly crossing the Armenia-Georgia border illegally around February-March and they were arrested by the Armenian police.

His father has been working as a farm labourer and Ajay’s brother Baljinder Singh (24) works as a daily wage earner.

In 2018, Baljinder had also gone to Dubai and worked as a mason for a year. “We were young when we dropped out of school and started working for the family. I also tried my luck in Dubai, but there wasn’t much work, so I had to come back,” a distressed Baljinder said.