AMRITSAR: The fast-unto death under taken by Sawinder Singh Ghambir (53), a lecturer at the Government Senior Secondary School Kalanaur, Gurdaspur demanding the release of his son, Parmistinder Singh entered the 25th day on Sept. 18. Parmsatinder Singh, a second year student of B. Tech, (Electronics) of Guru Nanak Dev University was picked up by the police on May 18, from Lawrence Road here. Later, he was seen by staffers and students at the university campus with the police. He had been brought there ostensibly to identify certain “wanted students.” The university students have been demanding his release and have been holding protest rallies on the campus but with no success. On Friday, the Students Welfare Association went on an indefinite strike demanding his release.

Ghambir told ENS, that for the first three days he sat in front of the residence of the Senior Super in tender of Police (SSP), Gurdip Singh, but the police advised him to shift to the office. Since August 25 he has been sitting there, Till date, nobody has approached him or asked him to withdraw the fast.

Chamber in a memorandum to the SSP Gurdip Dhillon has listed three demands for ending the fast, his son be released immediately, the police should apologize in case, he has been tortured, if his son is found guilty a case should be registered against him and produced in the court, if he has already been killed by the police in a fake” encounter or by torturing him, the mortal remains be handed over to the family.

Ghambir sits outside the SSP’s office from 10 a.m. to five p. m  everyday. He retires to the Guru Ram Das Sarai in the Golden Temple complex in the evenings.

He sits all alone on a small polythene sheet under a sheesam tree. A small placard with (40 bhukh hartal” (fast unto death), is kept on the sheet,

He sits there all alone. Man of the passersby do not even notice his presence until told about his mission.

Sawinder Singh who is on leave has lost over 35 kgs. He looks pale and weak. He is surviving only on lemon soda which he sips about five to six times in a day. No doctor has attended on him nor has the administration taken any notice of his deteriorating health.

Ghambir said that Dhillon had told him that his son is not with the Amritsar police and he should search for him somewhere else. But he said that his son was arrested by the Amritsar police and they should produce him.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992