Dina Nagar, July 27, 2016:
The Congress Legislature Party chief and the Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi called upon the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to honour at least the commitments made to the families of the martyrs, here on Wednesday.
Channi was speaking at a meeting of the Congress workers organized by Smt Aruna Chaudhary MLA. Channi, in Dina Nagar on Wednesday. They also demanded government jobs to the kin of the families of the martyrs and those of the persons injured in the Dina Nagar attack. Channi also honoured the families of Gulam Rasool and Nirmala devi who sacrificed their lives in the attack. All the injured civilians Kamlajit Matharu, Sarvjit, Varun Bhagat, Darshan railway gateman and Satpal Singh Milkman were also honored on the occasion.
“All his life, Badal has practiced the politics of opportunism and deceit and making false promises to the people. However, he can’t treat families of the martyrs similarly as this would amount to showing disrespect to the martyrs. Why should it take one year for the Badal government to award President’s Police Medal posthumously to Superintendent of Police Baljit Singh who laid down his life while fighting terrorist attack on Dinanagar police station last year”, he asked.
He reminded Badal that that the posthumous gallantry award was announced last year but it was shocking that the family was still waiting for that that showed utter callousness on the part of Mr Badal. Mr Channi said selling dreams or promises such as turning Punjab into California made to the people to get votes are different from making commitments to the families of the martyrs.
Blaming the deputy Chief minister S Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the home portfolio, for deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab, Channi questioned when the investigation of the Pathankot Attack which happened after the Dina nagar attack was given to the central agency why the Dina Nagar Attack was not given to the any neutral central agency. Today after in one year and formation of three investigation teams by the Punjab police we head nowhere. The home minister should tell the people of Punjab of Punjab about the malafide intentions behind this coverup.
He referred to the intensification in the activities of the terrorists all over the world and maintained Punjab was among the most vulnerable regions being a border state. The Dinanagar attack was followed by the most shocking attack on Pathankot airbase. The morale of the security forces has to be high in such areas to confront such disruptive forces. However, the indifferent attitude as shown by the Badal administration would rather act as a damper.
Channi also pointed to the latest case of broad day light murder of a woman Balwinder Kaur, an accused in the case of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, near historic gurdwara at Alamgir village. He said Mr Badal should remember that terrorism in Punjab earlier was triggered by similar incidents. This was the result of the utter failure of the blatantly politicized state police that had failed to check such incidents with alarming regularity.
Others who were present on the occasion included Raja Warring, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Ashok Chaudhary, Raman Behl, Rumal Chand, Anil Dara, Smt Raj Kumari, Kulbir Zira and other congress party leaders.