People's Democracy

Punjab Police Slaps Cases Against Anti-Dowry Protestors

THE All India Agricultural Workers’ Union(AIAWU) strongly condemns the brutal attack on the August 25 demonstration called by a number of political parties and mass organisations at Dhanaula in Sangrur district of Punjab. They were peacefully protesting against the attempt to poison and physically assault Sukhpal Kaur, a young girl of Kaleke village who was married on March 21, 1999 to Baldev Singh, of Jharon village. The in-laws had siezed the girl's jewellery and expelled her from her marital home.

The Sangrur police sent a DSP in plainclothes to disrupt the demonstration; when this failed the demonstration was brutally lathicharged. Twenty people were wounded and ten had to be hospitalised. Later the leaders of the demonstration, Chand Singh Chopra, state president of Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, Gursev Kaur Bhattal, district president of AIDWA, Swaran Kaur, Panch of Kaleke village, Sukhpal Kaur, the injured wife, Gurbaksh Singh Kaleke, her father, and two women demonstrators Paramjeet Kaur and Amarjeet Kaur are among the over twenty people charged under section 307 (attempt to murder), 353, 342, 311, 188, 186, 148, 149 of the Cr PC. It is ironic that the Punjab police have charged people protesting against an attempt to murder with attempt to murder.

The Punjab State Agricultural Workers Union at its 23rd state conference held at Banga on September 1, condemned this brutal attack and demanded not only the arrest of the criminal bridegroom, his father and their police accomplices, but also the restitution of the dowry. The Union threatened the administration that it will protest at all district centres in Punjab unless the cases are withdrawn and the dowry of the expelled bride is returned in full (over Rs.7 lakhs)

The All India Agricultural workers Union called on the Government of Punjab to put a stop to this savage repression unleashed against democratic mass organisations and people struggling to end social evils unless they wish to stand up and be counted among criminals like Baldev Singh of Jharon and his family.

Suneet Chopra, joint secretary, AIAWU has in a statement demanded the immediate punishment of the DSP involved in the lathi charge at Dhanaula on August 25, the retraction of all cases against the protestors and leaders of mass organisations and the return of the dowry. The police has arrested the culprits after this protest demonstration, but has neither sought retraction of cases against the innocent nor moved for the restitution of dowry. This reflects its social attitude and criminal intent, he said.