RODMAJRA (ROPAR): After the death of her husband 10 years ago Manjit Kaur, 41, did not know that the worst was yet to befall, when her son Didar Singh, 21, would join the militants and the police would finally turn her one room house into a police post. Didar Singh, belonging to the Babbar Khalsa International outfit, according to police, is wanted in connection with a number of crimes, including killing a Congress leader in Mohali, shooting down two policemen and three others in Kharar, besides, kidnapping a relative of the Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was released later.
On Nov.29 this year, the Ropar police, without her consent, timed: the house of Manjit Kaur into a police post, ordering 12 armed constables to put their beds alone side her bed. The village panchayat raised the issue with the SSP Ajit Smgh Sandhu, on the plea that Manjit’sb two young daughters Kulbi Kaurand Narinder Kaur, though recently married, often visited their widow mother and it did not behoove the cops to sleep in the same room. But the SSP turned a deaf ear to the complaint.
“Land my elder daughter had been detained by the police for weeks together. We have suffered unspeakable repression. Let my “nalayak” son know this,” sobs Manjias she wants him 10 surrender to the police.
She would not mind if her son gets killed in an encounter as that would end the family’s ordeal. The SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu says, “we want results, if you can get the man {0 us we will withdraw the post. He was noncommittal whether it was justified to ignore the plea of the village panchayat especially when the Punjab police have launched a program to get closer to the common man.” Parvinder Pal Singh, member panchayat though agrees that the police is duty bound, but believes that it does not justify the setting up of 2 post in Manjit’s single room house.
“Let them put up a tent on the threshold of the house or an alternate accommodation can be made available by the panchayat” he says. All alone, Manjit is dependent on her two acres of land for survival. Her relatives shun visiting her; even the villagers who earlier helped her with the work of Imigation have now deserted her.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 24, 1993
