Behbal kalan firing: Victims’ kin given jobs 2 yrs ago, govt offer a goof-up

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 5

The state government’s offer of job for one member each of two families of Behbal Kalan police firing victims has come as a surprise to many, as the family members have already been given jobs by the then SAD-BJP government in January 2016.

Prabhdeep Singh (24), son of victim Krishan Bhagwan Singh, and Jagdeep Singh (25), younger brother of deceased Gurjit Singh, are working as senior laboratory attendant at Government High School, Behbal Kalan, and Romana Albel Singh Wala, respectively, since January 2016.

Their services were regularised in January this year and both are now drawing a salary of Rs 30,000 per month.

During his visit to the village on November 17, 2015, the then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had announced jobs for the affected families.

While the family members have denied to comment on the recent job offer, radical Sikh group leaders, who have been on a protest dharna at Bargari since June 1, said the announcement of the state government to hand over the case to the CBI, jobs to the kin of deceased and hike in the compensation amount was an attempt to divert the people’s attention from the main issue.

Baljit Singh Daduwal, parallel jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, said after around three years of the incident and probe by two judicial commissions, instead of taking any concrete action against the guilty, the government was trying to further delay the matter.

Family wants guilty cops arrested

Moga: Sukhraj Singh, the elder son of Krishan Bhagwan Singh who was killed in the police firing at Behbal Kalan, has demanded that the accused police officials be arrested and produced before court for trial. 

Talking to The Tribune, he said, “I reject the CBI inquiry and demand timely justice from the state government,” he said. He alleged that almost three years had passed, but the state government was still not willing to arrest police officials allegedly involved in the firing incident. 

Though he has welcomed the enhancement of compensation from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore, he said money could not heal their wounds. He said his family was yet to receive the compensation money. Sukhraj said the top cops of the Punjab Police whose names have figured in the judicial commission’s report must be arrested. TNS