Harassed by cops, Dalit family ends life

Brother-in-law Chinderpal alleged that Nurmehal SHO Shiv Dev Singh Kahlon had demanded Rs 50,000 from Sukhdev on Thursday. Sarpanch Shadi Ram said the local police used to take Sukhdev to the station every day and the panchayat used to bring him back. “He was in custody for three days. When we went to get him freed, they asked us to first take his place in the lockup,” he added.

As news of the suicides spread, a mob of angry villagers gathered in Nurmehal and started raising anti-police slogans. When the police tried to disperse them with a lathi-charge, they retaliated by pelting the police personnel with stones. Things got out of hand when the villagers chased a constable, who first opened fire in the air and then at the mob, killing Balwinder Kumar, and critically injuring three others. The CRPF has since been called in and the entire area cordoned off.

The Government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the police firing and SHO Shiv Dev Singh has been suspended. Constable Palwinder Singh who opened fire at the mob has been booked for murder and arrested. The Phillaur SDM has been asked to inquire into the suicides.

The Government has sanctioned an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Balwinder, who died in the police firing. The local MLAs have also decided to give Rs 3 lakh to the family. The injured have been sanctioned a relief of Rs 50,000 each along with free treatment.

The SHO’s defence
Nurmehal SHO Shiv Dev Singh Kahlon said he had never demanded money from Sukhdev. “The panchayat used to bring him to the police station and then take him back. For the past two days, we had not called him to the police station.” He said Sukhdev was in constant in touch with the runaway couple.