Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 12 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today demanded a judicial probe into the brutal murder of Kabaddi sportsperson Lakshmi Devi, saying the district police was siding with goons at the instance of Congress leaders leading to barbaric acts of violence against small the marginal farmers.
In a statement here, the SAD president said despite an indefinite dharna being staged by the victim family as well as people of the area along with the body of the deceased girl at Guruharshai, the Ferozepur police was acting like stooges of Sports minister Rana Gurmeet Sodhi and refusing to arrest all the accused. “It seems the law of the jungle has replaced the government writ in the constituency”, he added.
Giving details of the case, the SAD president said the matter was being handled with utter callousness by the district police with SSP Pritam Singh openly stating that in case the protesters did not end their peaceful dharna he would use force to make them vacate the dharna site. He said the SSP was also working as a Congress agent by refusing to arrest eight out of 11 persons against whom an FIR had been registered in the case. He said In such a situation there was no chance of a free and fair inquiry into the murder case and only a judicial probe can ensure justice to the young girl and her family.
The SAD president demanded immediate suspension of Guruharsahai SHO Bhupinder Singh who did not come to the aid of the victim family despite being informed in advance that they expected an attack and feared for their lives. He said it had also come to light that the SHO came to the spot after two and a half hours after spending one hour with the accused. Mr Badal also demanded the arrest of all eleven persons named in the FIR besides adequate compensation to the family and a government job to the next of kin.
Mr Badal said it was unfortunate that repeated cases of political vendetta and inhuman excesses against small and marginal farmers were being reported from Ferozepur district but the government was refusing to take any action. “Earlier Congress leader Inderjit Zira led a mob of 150 goons into the Zira police station to forcibly evict peaceful protesters who were demanding justice in a case involving suicide of a young boy after his 2.5 acres of land was usurped and registered by the Congress leader’s personal assistant. Now again the family of Lakshmi who owns 2.5 acres of land which has been usurped is being threatened with use of force instead of giving them justice”. He said it was sad that young children were giving up their lives to fight oppression during the tenure of the Congress government which had promised them jobs. He said Laskhmi could have done the State proud with her achievements but had to pay with her life because of the lawfulness let loose by the Congress government.
The SAD president said Congress goons had snuffed out the life of a promising Kabaddi player by firing indiscriminately at her family at Fatehgarh Gehri village in Guruharsahai constituency. He said a group which enjoyed the support of the Congress party had led the murderous assault against Lakhsmi’s father Surjit to evict their family from their house and take possession of their land forcibly.
