Protesting patwaris of Ludhiana postponed their pen down strike by a month soon after getting assurance from deputy commissioner (DC) Rajat Agarwal for a fair probe into an attack that happened in the last week of December on government officials, including a patwari, in Mand Chaunta village.
The decision to postpone the strike was taken after a state-level meeting of the Patwar Union at Samrala, near here on Thursday. Additional deputy commissioner (ADC), Khanna, Ajay Sood would now look into the matter.
It is pertinent to mention that when the district administration officials went to take possession of a shamlat land in Mand Chaunta village in Machhiwara block in the last week of December, some unscrupulous elements had attacked the team, wherein some government officials and a patwari were injured.
DC Rajat Agarwal had on Thursday convened a meeting with the Patwar Union state president Om Parkash Thind, state general secretary Harvir Singh Dhindsa, district president Rupinder Singh Grewal, president of Kanungo Association Punjab Rajpritpal Singh and general secretary Darshan Kumar Sharma at SDM office, Samrala, and assured the revenue officials that a fair probe would be conducted in the incident. He also said the attackers would be arrested.
“I have asked Khanna ADC Ajay Sood to look into the matter and carry out a free and fair probe. With the pen down strike of the patwaris, the public at large was suffering. I had appealed to the patwaris to take back their strike in public interest. The patwaris have now decided to return to duty,” said the DC.
{{/usCountry}}“I have asked Khanna ADC Ajay Sood to look into the matter and carry out a free and fair probe. With the pen down strike of the patwaris, the public at large was suffering. I had appealed to the patwaris to take back their strike in public interest. The patwaris have now decided to return to duty,” said the DC.
{{/usCountry}}Though the police had registered a case against the attackers, but no arrest has been made so far, thereby inviting the ire of the patwaris. Since then, the patwaris of the district were on a pen down strike.
The patwaris have alleged that the attackers enjoy the patronage of the village sarpanch, who is associated with the Punjab irrigation minister, which was the reason behind the “missing action” on the part of the police. The officers who attended the meeting included Khanna ADC Ajay Sood and SDM Samrala Anuprita Johal.
No arrest made so far
Though the police had registered a case against the attackers, but no arrest has been made so far.
The patwaris have alleged that the attackers enjoy the patronage of the village sarpanch, who is associated with the Punjab irrigation minister.