Protest against Sumitra8217;s arrest

ROHTAK, Jan 7: With the Chaubisi Sarvkhap Panchayat, Meham giving a clean chit to Sumitra, accused of setting four members of a family on...

ROHTAK, Jan 7: With the Chaubisi Sarvkhap Panchayat, Meham giving a clean chit to Sumitra, accused of setting four members of a family on fire in Ajaib village of Meham sub-division, the case has taken an interesting turn today. In a significant development, the panchayat, in a memorandum submitted to Superintendent of Police P.K. Aggarwal, demanded action against the complainant Sunita8217;s mother and two brothers blaming them for instigating Sunita to commit the crime.

The members of 8220;Chaubisi8221; Sarvkhap Panchayat, Meham and residents of the area held a demonstration here today and urged the Superintendent of Police not to arrest Sumitra.

Cutting across party lines, the demonstration was headed by Anand Singh Dangi Congress. Those who participated in the demonstration include Wazir Singh, Meena Chaudhary and Partap Singh ex-sarpanch all members of the Lok Dal, President of Meham Sarvkhap Panchayat Surat Singh, General Secretary of panchayat Hari Om Siwach, former MLA Harsaroop Boora, Tari.F. Singh Haryana Vikas Party and chairman Meham BlockSamiti Sunil alias Kalu. The demonstrators urged that Sumitra was innocent and falsely implicated in the case.

Assuring that the investigation would be carried out in a fair manner, the SP said that justice will prevail. The law will take its own course, he said and added that the sentiments and feelings of the demonstrators will be taken into consideration. It may be recalled that four members of a family were charred to death in their sleep on December 19 in Ajaib village. Those killed included serving BSF personnel Ishwar Singh, his two minor daughters Renu and Ritu and his wife Sunita. Sunita battled for life for three days in Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences before she died, while the other three had died on the spot.

Meanwhile Balbir Singh, father of Ishwar Singh was reported to have told the senior citizens of Chaubisi that his daughter-in-law, Sumitra was innocent. A meeting of the panchayat was convened yesterday and presided over by Surat Singh, president of Chaubisi Sarvkhap Panchayat. The panchayat, after long deliberations, reached the conclusion that Sumitra was innocent. It was of the view that Sunita8217;s parents had instigated her to commit this heinous crime.

The panchayat constituted an 11-member committee, headed by Surat Singh to assist the police in investigating the case. Another 51-member action committee was constituted to keep a watch over the situation and ensure that the guilty were brought to book.

Meanwhile, General Secretary district unit of Akhil Bhartiya Janwadi Mahila Samiti Bimla Hooda, in a statement, asked the police to arrest Sumitra without any further delay as she was named by Sunita in her dying declaration.