21 booked for ‘preventing BDPO from performing duty’

Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, February 4

On a complaint filed by Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Sirhind, Ramesh Kumar, the police have registered a case against Devinder Singh Jallah, Senior Congress leader and sarpanch, Jallah village. A case has been registered against Jallah under Sections 186 and 353 of the IPC for allegedly preventing the BDPO from performing government duty.

As per the FIR, Kumar in a complaint to the Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner had alleged that the sarpanch and his supporters on January 30 entered his office and created nuisance, raised slogans against the government, disrupted the functioning of his office and prevented him from performing his official duty. The BDPO demanded action against the sarpanch. The DC forwarded the complaint to the SSP, who further marked it to Fatehgarh Sahib SHO for action as per law. Sirhind SHO registered the case.

Jallah along with panchayat members and his supporters on had held a protest outside the office of BDPO on January 30, alleging that he had sent a false report against the sarpanch to Fatehgarh Sahib District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) under the political pressure of local MLA. Jallah had alleged that the BDPO in his report falsely stated that the sarpanch had not been handing over the record of Village Panchayat to the Panchayat Secretary when he had already handed over the record and had a receipt of the same. Jallah had even had complained to the DC against the BDPO and demanded a fair enquiry into the matter.

On the other hand, the BDPO in his complaint stated that certain people had demanded information under the RTI Act regarding development works in the village and so, he had written to the Panchayat Secretary to provide the required information. But the Secretary in turn said the sarpanch had not been handing over the record and so he could not give the information. The BDPO then wrote to the DDPO in this regard and denied any political pressure.

The sarpanch alleged he was being harassed mentally and that two Sarpanches of the Amloh block had already died by suicide because of the same treatment by the officials under political pressure.