Jagmel Singh murder: Family ends protest, accepts compensation

Image Courtesy: Hindustan times

Jagmel Singh’s family has finally relented and ended their protest after the Punjab government offered Rs. 20 lakh compensation, a government job to his wife, and free education to his three children, The Hindustan Times reported.

However, even this still appears to be woefully inadequate, considering Jagmel, a Dalit, died a slow death 9 days after being tied to a pillar, brutally thrashed with iron rods and lathis and forced to drink urine by upper-caste men in Changaliwala village on November 7 following a minor dispute.

“The victim was undergoing treatment at PGI, Chandigarh, and both his legs had to be amputated to control the spread of infection due to the injuries,” Lehra station house officer Satnam Singh had said.

The family of the 37-year-old had refused to allow the post-mortem of his body till their demand of Rs. 50 lakh compensation and a government job for his wife were met. They, along with several members from Dalit organizations had staged a protest at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) campus, where his body was lying in the mortuary.

Compensation details

Sandeep Sandhu, political secretary to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, said a compensation of Rs 20 lakh, including Rs 8.15 lakh provided under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, will be given to the next of kin.

Out of the total compensation, Rs. 6 lakh would be given on the day when the post-mortem of the body would be conducted. The remaining Rs. 14 lakh would be given on the bhog (post death ritual) ceremony. His wife, Manjit Kaur, would be given a group-D job, near her residence, giving relaxation in the prescribed educational qualification. Apart from bearing the charges for the bhog ceremony, the government has also promised to provide Jagmel’s children with education up to the graduation level.

Sandhu also said that the government would pay an additional Rs. 1.25 lakh for the repair of their house and give free ration to the family for six months.

Punjab has the highest population of Scheduled Castes that is, 31.9 per cent of the total population of 277.43 lakhs. In 2016, the National Records Crime Bureau (NCRB) recorded a total of 132 crimes against the Scheduled Castes, with 130 cases still pending investigation.

Jagmel Singh’s death had sparked outrage in Sangrur where Dalit organisations called a protest, demanding compensation for the family.

“We want strict action against the culprits and the government should compensate the family. A member of the family should be given a government job on humanitarian grounds,” said Bikkar Singh, the district chief of Dalit outfit Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee.

The incident also saw attacks coming in from Opposition parties who attacked the Congress government over the ‘barbaric’ treatment being meted out to Dalits in the state, with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the ‘rule of the jungle’ was prevalent in the state.

Various activist organisations on Monday also gheraoed the residence of former Punjab CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal at Lehra in Sangrur district whom they alleged of supporting the accused in the case.

The Opposition also raised the issue on the first day of the Winter Session of the Parliament.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) State Chief Jasbir Singh Ghadi, who had arranged food for the family during their protest at the PGI, said, “BSP has formed a team of five lawyers to fight the legal battle for the family. The culture of rich and upper caste suppressing the poor and lower class has been going on in the country since long now, and though rules and acts have been made against it, no concrete steps have been taken….No personal matter can grow so deep that results in something so torturous.”

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a comprehensive probe by ADGP Gurpreet Deo into the murder case, an official spokesperson said.

“The Chief Minister has ordered the police to file the challan in the case within a week. All effort would be made to ensure stringent punishment for the culprits within three months,” the spokesperson said.

The police have arrested Rinku, Amarjeet Singh, Lucky alias Goli, and Beeta alias Binder, all residents of Jagmel’s village and booked them for abduction, wrongful confinement, attempt to commit culpable homicide, voluntarily causing hurt and other charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. They were produced in a Sunam court on Monday and are sent to police custody till November 21.

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