AMRITSAR: Stressing the need to hold negotiations with the militants to resolve the Punjab tangle, the controversial Congress MLA retuned unopposed from Tam Taran, Dilbagh Singh Dalsho, offered to mediate between the government and the militants. Talking to reporters here, Daloke said that despite the return of a popular government in the state a fortnight ago, the people were still reeling under police repression and nothing seemed to have changed. Instead of opening up avenues to comb list, with stranged youth and bringing them in to the national mainstream, the Punjab government was busy in a witch –hunt and was harassing the people who could bring the militants to the negotiation table, he alleged. Daleke said the government should initiate a dialogue with the militants and the services of their relatives should be taken to bring the*“misguided” youth back to the mainstream. He advocated the early release of the arrested Akali leaders to restore political normalcy in the state. Instead of pursuing a confrontationist policy, rapprochement with the Akalis was in the best interests of the state and the country, he said He also appealed to the militants to respond to the good gestures of the new government and cooperate in solving the problems facing the state. He reiterated this commitment to bring the estranged youth back into the mainstream and for the development of the border area which had unfortunately been the most fertile ground for recruitment to the militants ranks,

Daleke also alleged that at least two of his supporters, who were denied Tuesday, were still in police custody. The SSP of Tam Taran, he claimed, had failed at offer any substantial explanation for this action except to say that the instructions had come from the top and he was helpless, He disclosed that the detained senior citizens of the area included the manager of the cooperative bank of Tam Taran, Dilbagh Singh Santokh Singh and Iqbal Singh of Bagipur village.Santok Singh Iqbal Singh had recently given an affidavit that the former district police chief had allegedly tortured them to extract evidence against Daleke for his involvement” in a conspiracy to kill the then DIG (border range).“The affidavits had already been submitted by Daleke to party central leadership to prove that the TADA cases registered against him last year had been cooked up by the local police malign him. He feared that police would harass his supporters to fabricate evidence against had demanded immediate intervention of the government. Daleke, who is a former minister of state for transport in the Zail Singh government, served that “illegal detention of the respected citizens “without sufficient reasons” would further alienate the people of this district and complicated the problems.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 27, 1992