JALANDHAR: The Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh ruled out the possibility of his principal secretary and the state chief secretary talking to any SGPC official in connection with the murder of Baldev Singh Lang an Akali Dal (Mann) leader.

The government would act according to the law Beant Singh said when his attention was drawn to a press report about the alleged involvement of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief G.S.Tohra in Langs murder.

Nobody is above the law. The law will take its own course he said.

Lang was among the 27 candidates shot dead by militants in the 1991 deferred Punjab polls.

Police framed the murder charge against Tohra on the basis of interrogation of three militants of the Babbar Khalsa International.

Beant Singh ordered an inquiry into the alleged involvement of Tohra following a representation from Lungs brother.

Beant Singh also assured full security to Sarpanches and panches and urged them not to bow to the pressure of anti-social elements who were asking them to resign.

The Chief Minister was addressing a gathering of panches and sarpanches at Kang Khurd village about 50 km from here. The Sarpanches and panches are the elected representatives and as such are part and parcel of the government machinery for the development of their respective villages he said.

He said that 60% of the budget earmarked for the development works would be spent in the rural areas. He urged the sarpanches to work without any fear.

The Chief Minister held the Akalis responsible for the present state of affairs in the state and said the Punjabi sub a was the creation of the wrong policies of the Akalis.

Beant Singh said certain elements were playing into the hands of Pakistan and spoiling the atmosphere in Punjab which directly affected the development activities in the state.

He disclosed that Rs 400 crore was being spent annually on the security forces and on compensation for the victims of militancy which could be utilized for development work in Punjab if peace was restored. He announced that Lohian would be declared blocks headquarter and the school would be upgraded.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Development Minister Umrao Singh Ysh MP Mohinder Singh Jaypee state minister for Sports and Youth Welfare and Brij Bhupinder Singh.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 12, 1992