Resentment over murder case

FARIDKOT, Nov 8: Various organisations and trade unions have voiced resentment over their leaders being implicated in the much publicised mu...

FARIDKOT, Nov 8: Various organisations and trade unions have voiced resentment over their leaders being implicated in the much publicised murder of Amarjit Singh Sodhi, a big landlord of Manavan village and proprietor of a reputed construction company at Moga.

Sodhi was killed in the busiest Guru Nanak Market of Moga town on November 4 by two unidentified youths. The Moga police have registered a case under Sections 302,109 and 120B of the IPC against Zora Singh Nasrali, state committee member of Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union PKMU along with three other members of the union on a complaint lodged by Haridnder Singh, a son of the deceased.

Lachhaman Singh Sewewala, state secretary of PKMU, alleged that the leaders of the union had been falsely implicated the in Sodhi murder case as they had led the agitation for mounting pressure on the administration to register a case against the deceased following the murder of two labourers of Manavan village last year.

He emphatically asserted that their organisation did not believe in strategy of individual murders. Rather they firmly believe in mass movements to resist the acts of oppression by tyrants.

Karam Singh Deol, president of FCI and Punjab Food Agency Paledar Union has alleged that though the persons against whom the case has been registered led an agitation against the misdeeds of Sodhi but they had no link whatsoever with Sodhl8217;s murder.

He threatened to launch state-wide mass movement if false case against the union leaders was not withdrawn.

District police chief Moga, Dr Sharadh Chauhan, when contacted by The Indian Express said that the deceased had received threats from some unknown persons. Amarjit Sodhi was provided a security guard by the district police. He said that police was carrying an investigation into the murder case.

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It is noteworthy to mention here that the deceased was on bail in a murder case for allegedly killing two Dalit farm hands of Manavan village who were found dead in mysterious circumstances after they were kept in illegal custody and allegedly subjected to third degree torture by Sodhi on March 21, last year. It was only after people of the area mounted pressure on the police and resorted to blocking of traffic for hours that a case of murder was registered against Sodhi.

The agitation was spearheaded by 8220;Manavan Anti-Murder Action Committee8221; based on various democratic organisations and trade unions including Punjab Khet Mazddor Union PKMU, Lok Morcha Punjab and Technical Services Union.