Bandh observed in Durg, Bhilai cities of Chhattisgarh over Sikh man’s death in attack
Durg, Sep 18 (PTI) A bandh was observed in Durg and Bhilai cities of Chhattisgarh on Monday over the death of a 32-year-old man from the Sikh community who was thrashed by a group of men last week.
Business establishments were shut in the two cities till late afternoon during the bandh called by the Chhattisgarh Sikh Panchayat to protest against the alleged murder.
Malkeet Singh alias Veeru was allegedly thrashed by a group of persons at ITI grounds under Khursipar police station area of Durg district on the intervening night of September 15 and 16. The victim succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital, police said.
Four persons were arrested and a teenage boy was detained on Saturday in connection with the offence, they said.
While the exact reason for the attack is yet to be ascertained, the deceased man’s family members have alleged that he was beaten up when he raised pro-India slogans while watching the film “Gadar-2” on his mobile phone along with a friend.
The body of the deceased is still in a hospital in Raipur, as his family members and the community have refused to cremate the remains demanding a government job for his widow and compensation of Rs 20 lakh, said Arvindar Singh Khurana, president of Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha (Durg).
Members of the Sikh community and BJP leaders, including former minister Premprakash Pandey, have been staging a protest in front of the police station demanding adequate monetary compensation to the victim’s family, a government job for the victim’s widow and the arrest of all the accused.
The bandh garnered a good response, as all sections of the society supported it registering a strong protest against the barbaric incident, Khurana said.
The bandh, which was supported by the opposition BJP and Chamber of Commerce, was observed from 9 am to 2 pm.
Nearly all shops and commercial establishments remained closed in the two cities. However, essential services such as medical stores, schools and colleges were kept out of the purview of the bandh.
The protest will continue and the victim will not be cremated till the demands are met, Khurana said.
Durg collector Pushpendra Singh Meena said that on Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s direction, the district administration has offered immediate assistance of Rs 5 lakh and a samvida (contractual) job in the government to a family member of the deceased, but the family is yet to accept them.
The opposition BJP has condemned that incident and said Malkeet Singh was murdered by people belonging to a particular community and such incidents are on the rise in the state.
“Singh was brutally murdered when he opposed those raising pro-Pakistan slogans. He was killed by members of a particular community. Such incidents are on the rise and have shaken the state. Such incidents are challenging for all of us and there is a need to crush such mentality,” Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Narayan Chandel.
He further accused the Congress of protecting people involved in such incidents.
Hitting back, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel alleged that the BJP was deliberately trying to give a communal colour to the incident.
“The BJP is deliberately trying to give communal colour to the incident. It is a very unfortunate incident and the accused have been arrested. The BJP has been doing politics over the incident as it has no issues to raise,” Baghel told reporters on Monday.