ROPAR: Anger and resentment ripped the residents of the city recently when they heard about the death of a Harijan woman, Mrs .Balbiro, 32, while in police custody here.

Hundreds of men and women gheraoed the city police station and held a demonstration demanding suspension of and registration a murder case against guilty police officials, They also demanded a judicial inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of Balbiro. The city also witnessed a bandh in protest,

According to Atma Ram, father of the victim, Akshki Moudgill, an SDO at the Ropar Thermal Plant, had filed a complaint with the city police that when he was went along with his family, he had left Balbiro, who was working as a servant with the family, to look after the house, but when he came back to home he found some house hold items missing. On this report, Atma Ram said, the police raided the house of Balbiro on July 12 and took her and other members of her family into custody. It will be mentioned that the police did not find any evidence of theft during the raid.

Gurmit Kaur, who was also arrested along with other members of the family and was a witness to the torture of Balbiro, alleged that Balbiro was severely beaten up and molested continuously for three days, She further alleged that the policemen forcibly made her to drink liquor and even beat up her two minor sons.

According to information available the police had not produced her in the court within 24 hours as required by law. No lady police official was deployed for her investigation.

The people allege that Gama another eyewitness to the torture, has been deliberately shown missing by the police. Demanding that he be traced immediately they alleged that he was present at the police station at the time of Balbiro’s death.

The police said Balbiro was brought to the police station for interrogation in the theft case and was admitted to the local Civil Hospital where she was declared dead after 15 minutes.

The newsmen when they saw the body, noticed some visible marks of torture on her body,

The situation in the town was” tense The SDM Kirpa Shankar Saroj, and the DSP (detective), Mohinder Singh, were camping in the city to maintain law and order.

Saroj announced an ex gratia of Rs 5,000 to the family of the deceased. He said that Rs 1,000 would be provided for her funeral: He further said that the DSP, Mohinder Singh, had offered to pay Rs 10,000 to her family from his sources. He also assured that a Class IV job would be provided to the eldest son of the family.

The members of the family and the Balmiki community have rejected the administration’s offer and threatened a statewide strike by ‘safai’ workers if action was not taken against the guilty police officials.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 31, 1992