Abohar, Channu killings rock national politics - Cong, BJP, BSP all jump into the matter

Tuesday, 15/12/2015

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Bathinda : The two killing incidents taken place at Abohar (Fazilka) and Channu village (Muktar) on Friday rocked the nation’s politics on Monday with these cases being discussed in parliament. Ironically, in both cases the ill-fated persons, a 27-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, belonging Scheduled Caste.

While the Congress and BSP raised the issue in Rajya Sabha and disrupt the proceedings there, various dignitaries including BJP leaders also visited the two places in Punjab and expressed concern over the instance. After visiting the bereaved family of Bhim Tank who was killed after his hands and feet were chopped off at liquor baon Shiv Lal Doda’s Ramsara located farm house on Friday, the National Commission for Scheduled Caste’s vice chairman Raj Kumar Verka summoned Punjab DGP Suresh Arora and Principal Secretary (Home) to Delhi with their report on the ‘gruesome’ instance. On the other, Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission Chairman Rajesh Bagha, who is former President of the SC, ST Morcha of the Punjab unit of the BJP, visited Channu village to express his condolences with the bereaved family members of 12-year-old Arshdeep Kaur, who was crushed to death by a bus of Muktsar district planning committee chairman Hardeep Singh ‘Dimpy’ Dhillon’s transport company on Friday. Meeting the family members he also condemned the alleged police action as the bereaved family members accused the cops of maltreating the body. They claimed that the cops forcibly snatched the body of the girl from the agitators on Friday midnight, with also opening bullet shots in the air.

Bagha left the village infuriated as he found the district administration paying no respect to him. He accused the district officials of disregarding his position by not marking their presence before him.

He wanted to speak to DC and SSP to take report of the instance but except a naib-tehsildar and a sub-inspector rank official none among the officials bothered about his visit. Before leaving the village, irked Bagha shared that the district administration was informed well in advance but they did not bother to be present on the spot. “Now I will summon all of the officers concerned to Chandigarh,” he announced. It’s pertinent to mention that in Abohar instance, employees of Shiv Lal Doda had chopped off the hands and feet of two youngsters. While one among them, Bhim had succumbed to brutal attack, another victim Gurjant Singh ‘Janta’ is still under treatment at a hospital in Amritsar. And for Doda having been unsuccessfully contested against the Congress and BJP candidates in 2012 from Abohar Vidhan Sabha seat, reportedly with backing of Akali Dal, the BJP is also in a mood to exploit the issue. If at one hand, condemning the incidences of Channu and Abohar, BJP’s state president Kamal Sharma on Monday said that a BJP delegation led by CPS Somparkash and party’s SC Cell in-charge Dr Dilbag Singh would visit the families of the victims on Tuesday.

The other hand, Vijay Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla also announced his programme to visit the victim families of Abohar incident. Sampla would first visit Bhim Tank’s bereaved family in Abohar and then visit Gurjant Singh at Amritsar hospital to enquire about his condition.

It’s pertinent to mention that after Valmiki community launched agitation in Abohar on Friday and Saturday during which three liquor shops of Doda were also set on fire, Abohar police had booked Shiv Lal Doda and his nephew Amit Doda as prime conspirators among 12 booked in the case. Now the Valmiki community, supported by all various political personalities, is demanding for the arrest of all. According to information, police could arrest only one till date.

While charging the police of performing dubious role, Abohar MLA Sunil Jakhar has alleged that the SHO Harinder Singh Chameli was close to Doda and he used to stay at the same farmhouse of Doda where the crime was committed. After the issue surfaced, the senior officials appointed another Investigation officer and assured masses to arrest all accused at the earliest possible.