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Without salary for 3 years, Sangrur institute clerk ends life on campus
Devinder Verma, who was posted as a clerk in the college, which is facing severe financial crisis for past three years and is on the verge of closure, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his office on the college premises
Sangrur: Upset over not being paid salary for 36 months, an employee of the Baba Hira Singh Bhattal Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Punjab government establishment in Sangrur’s Lehragaga town, committed suicide on Tuesday night.
Devinder Verma, who was posted as a clerk in the college, which is facing severe financial crisis for past three years and is on the verge of closure, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his office on the college premises.
In February 2020, too, Devinder attempted suicide in his office but was saved by colleagues who were protesting on the campus for the release of their salaries.
A total of 105 employees, including teaching and non-teaching staff, have not been paid salaries for the past three years. The employees are sitting on an indefinite protest at the main gate of college for three months.
In 2019, the state government decided to shut the college and to shift staff and students to other colleges, but the plan did not fructify.
Raj Kumar, one of the employees, said the state government and the local administration should be held responsible for Devinder’s death as no heed was paid to their demand of releasing their salaries.
“We have met top officials, ministers concerned and MLAs, but to no avail,” he said, adding that employees demanded registration of a criminal case against officials, who termed their demand of seeking salaries illogical.
Members of the BKU (Ekta Ugarahan) also joined the protesting employees on Wednesday. The family and protesters refused to cremate Devinder’s body till salaries are released, besides a government job to the victim’s wife.
Deputy superintendent of police Manoj Gorsi said they are recording statement of the family members of the victim for further investigation.
Deputy commissioner Ramvir said the government has fulfilled demands of the protesters. “The victim’s kin will be given ₹10 lakh compensation and a government job,” he said.
According to a report prepared by a committee of the IK Gujral Punjab Technical University, Kapurthala, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda, the annual expenditure of the institute was ₹11 crore against an annual income of ₹1.94 crore, resulting in the deficit of around ₹9 crore.
Started as a government polytechnic in 1995, the institute was upgraded as an autonomous body named after freedom fighter Baba Hira Singh Bhattal, father of former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.
