Finally, on the 10th day of the protest, the body of Gurpreet Singh was cremated after the Sangrur administration agreed to pay his family Rs 7.5 lakh as compensation and assured to give a job of a ‘chowkidar’ to Gurpreet’s father Sainsi Singh.
Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union (PKMU) had threatened to launch a rail roko on Sangrur-Delhi railway line from Monday, but much before it could start the protest, PKMU was called for a meeting by the Sangrur district administration and things were settled.
“As the family agreed to this compensation amount (Rs 7.5 lakh), we decided to call off our rail roko protest on Monday. Even the dharna has been lifted from outside the house of Lehra MLA Barinder Goyal,” PKMU general secretary Lachhman Singh Sewewala told the Indian Express.
Gurpreet Singh (18) was crushed to death on November 11 after roof of an under-construction commercial building collapsed in Salemgarh village of Lehragaga constituency. Five others were injured in the incident.
Family members of Gurpreet had been demanding compensation and a job for a family member since November 11, but talks materialised only on Monday (November 21).
“Earlier PKMU had staged its protest outside Moonak Tehsil complex. Later on November 18 we shifted the dharna outside the house of Lehra MLA Barinder Goyal. On November 20, we even gheraoed his office and gave a call of rail roko, but finally we got a call from the administration and things materialised. Though we had demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh, the administration gave a cheque for Rs 7.5 lakh. When the family agreed to the amount, we decided to lift the dharna. However we would like to ask the Punjab government as to why people have to sit on roads for their genuine demands and why the administration wakes up after we take some tough decisions. Our rail roko call forced the administration to come to the table,” said PKMU leader Harbhagwan Singh Moonak.
Two of the five people hurt in the incident had minor injuries. Out of the Rs 7.5 lakh compensation, Rs 2.5 lakh will be spent on treatment of the injured.
The commercial building in question belonged to Randhir Singh, a retired police official. An FIR against him was lodged on November 11 itself.
Tehsildar Parveen Kumar handed over the cheque to Sainsi Singh on Monday afternoon. Sainsi has been promised a chowkidar’s job in the village which will help him earn around Rs 2,500 per month.
Sainsi is a resident of Dhindsa village of Sangrur district where he lives with his wife and second son who is in Class IX. Gurpreet was the main breadwinner as Sainsi rarely used to work due to his ill health.
Pakka dharna in Patiala
The ongoing pakka dharna outside DC office in Patiala entered the sixth day on Monday which has been organised by Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee, another ‘mazdoor’ union of Punjab. On November 30, Sanjha Mazdoor Morcha will hold a dharna outside Dreamland colony in Sangrur where Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has a rented accommodation. Protest is over their pending demands.
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