Agitated over the death of a Dalit youth, his kin and community members on Sunday blocked traffic for several hours and held demonstration at Parbhat Chowk on Jalandhar road in the city.
The dharna was lifted after a first information report (FIR) was registered against seven persons. On Saturday, the police recovered a body from a gorge near Chak Gujran village on Una Road, which was identified to be of Sukhdev Singh aka KK Bhatti, the son of a police sub-inspector. He was absconding since July when an abduction and extortion case was registered against him at the Sadar police station.
His family alleged that Bhatti was implicated in a false case at the behest of some political persons. On the statement of Bhatti's brother Faninder Singh the police registered a case under Section 302 and 120-B of IPC against seven persons.
National Commission for Scheduled Caste chairman Raj Kumar Verka has marked an enquiry to the senior superintendent of police (SSP) and asked her to transfer the Sadar police station house officer (SHO).
Verka, who arrived in the town to meet the aggrieved family, called the deputy commissioner and SSP to a rest house and ordered that the allegations be probed within a week. He asked the SSP to file an affidavit before the SC Commission to inform if the case registered against the deceased was genuine. He said the SHO should be held guilty if the FIR was found to be fake.
{{/usCountry}}Verka, who arrived in the town to meet the aggrieved family, called the deputy commissioner and SSP to a rest house and ordered that the allegations be probed within a week. He asked the SSP to file an affidavit before the SC Commission to inform if the case registered against the deceased was genuine. He said the SHO should be held guilty if the FIR was found to be fake.
{{/usCountry}}The deputy superintendent of police, under whose supervision, the case was investigated, should also be questioned, he added. Verka asked the DC to ensure that the family received the compensation under the SC&ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
Later, speaking to the media, Verka said if the inquiry established involvement of any political leader in the murder of the youth, his name would be included in the FIR.
He alleged that atrocities against dalits and women were on the rise but the government was sleeping over the matter. He also alleged that false NDPS cases were being slapped against poor youth and left to languish in jails. The chief minister should visit such families, he suggested.