Tension prevailed in a Punjab village on Sunday after a horrific incident in which a Dalit labourer was allegedly beaten up and forced to drink urine by upper-caste men and later succumbed to his injuries at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) here.
Condemning the incident, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed shock at the death of the 37-year-old Dalit construction worker.
Stating that the rule of jungle was prevailing in the state, the former Deputy Chief Minister said there were repeated cases of atrocities against Dalits and that the latest case of Jagmail Singh of Sangrur had stricken the conscience of every right thinking Punjabi.
"Jagmail suffered inhuman atrocities at the hands of his tormentors after being tied to a pillar, acid was poured on his legs and when he asked for water, he was forced to drink urine. Jagmail died a horrible death after both his legs had been amputated earlier," he said in a statement.
Badal said it was condemnable that the Chief Minister had proceeded on a 14-day holiday to Europe at a time when all sections of society were suffering.
"This apathy towards the people is shocking", the SAD President said, adding the government had failed to take prompt action against Jagmail's tormentors and that he was not provided prompt medical attention.
The delay in giving treatment to Jagmail amounts to criminal negligence and action should be taken against officials responsible, he added.
Jagmail, who lost both legs after the attack, was allegedly forced to drink "urine" by the suspects. The police have arrested all four suspects and added Section 302 (murder) of the IPC to the first information report registered on November 13.
Acting on Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's directives, the state government on Monday announced Rs 20 lakh in compensation for the family of the Dalit man murdered in Changali Kalan village in Sangrur district.
The decision was announced after a meeting between three cabinet ministers and other high officials with deceased's widow Manjit Kaur and other family members.
The Cabinet ministers Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Charanjit Singh, Vijay Inder Singla and Chief Minister's Secretary Political Capt. Sandeep Sandhu represented the government at the meeting held at the Chief Minister's Office.
After the meeting, the family lifted their protest dharna outside the residence of former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal in her native village Lehra.
Have directed CS & DGP to ensure investigation & trial within 3 months against all responsible for the death of Jagmale Singh. My govt is committed to protecting Dalits & will take all necessary steps to ensure stringent & exemplary punishment. This crime won’t go unpunished.— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 17, 2019
It was decided at the meeting that the deceased's widow would be provided a group-D job near her residence, thereby giving relaxation in the prescribed educational qualification.
It was also decided to provide free ration up to six months to the family. The entire expenditure on the 'bhog' of the victim would be borne by the state government.
Further, the state would provide Rs 1.25 lakh for the repair of the house of Jagmail Singh.
The government has also decided to provide free education to the deceased's children studying in class ninth, sixth and first up to graduation level.
According to an official spokesperson, the family was informed that the Chief Minister has ordered a comprehensive probe by an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) rank officer into the murder case.
The Chief Minister has ordered the police to issue the 'challan' in the case within a week. All efforts would be made to ensure stringent punishment for the culprits within three months.
The ADGP has also been mandated to probe the lapses by the officers, if any, to fix their accountability.
The spokesperson DGP Dinkar Gupta had deputed ADGP Gurpreet Deo to undertake the inquiry and to submit a list of recommendations to prevent such unfortunate incidents or delays, if any in filing the case, in the future.
The inquiry officers' responsibility should also be fixed to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the erring officers, said the DGP.