Akali sarpanch ‘blocks’ access to burial ground

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Dera Baba Nanak, October 26

Minutes after CM Parkash Singh Badal announced a grant of Rs 100 crore for burial grounds for Christians and Muslims, Dera Baba Nanak Congress MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa produced evidence to show that the land and road adjoining the burial ground at Ransike Mira village had been encroached upon by a SAD sarpanch.

As a result, members of the community had to walk through agricultural fields to reach it.

Badal was presiding over a sangat darshan programme at Dera Baba Nanak when he made the announcement.

“Whenever a member of the Christian community dies, the body has to be taken to the burial ground after trudging 2 km on agricultural land. Both the road leading to it and the land adjoining it has been encroached upon,” alleged Randhawa.

He said that he had brought it to the notice of Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pardeep Sabharwal and Batala SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon but to no avail.

“I have written numerous letters to them. However, they have not taken any action as the sarpanch is a loyalist of the halqa incharge. The halqa incharge, in turn, is known for his proximity to the CM. A lot of resentment prevails within the community but officials are doing nothing,” alleged Randhawa.

The DC said that he was probing the matter. “I have asked a senior officer to inquire into the alleged land grab. Neither I nor any official of the district administration is under any sort of political pressure,” he said.

Randhawa claimed that the family of one Shyama Masih, who had died recently and whose body had to be taken through the fields for burial, today wanted to meet the CM, but they were not allowed to do so by the administration.

The DC countered this by saying that nobody was stopped from coming to the sangat darshan. “Everybody is welcome to the CM’s programme. No particular instructions were issued to stop anybody,” he said.