PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal and leader of opposition (LoP) in Vidhan Sabha Yashpal Arya visited the Paigha village of Udham Singh Nagar distirct on Tuesday where they met the family members of famer Sukhwant Singh who committed suicide in the early hours of Sunday. The Congress leaders consoled the bereaved family and took information about the circumstances under which Singh was forced to commit suicide.
Terming the incident shocking, the PCC president Godiyal said that the law and order situation in the State is pathetic. He said that the incident is an example of an insensitive government and pathetic law and order situation. Terming the incident as blot on the image of the State police and State government, Godiyal said that the alleged involvement of police officers in the incident has shocked everyone. Instead of taking action on the complaint of Sukhwant Singh the police colluded with the accused and started harassing and threatening the complainant, forcing him to commit suicide, he said. Godiyal said that a high-level judicial inquiry should be ordered in the case. The deceased farmer’s family should be given appropriate compensation and the accused police officers and employees should be immediately dismissed so they cannot influence the investigation, he added.
The LoP Arya alleged that the police administration’s harassment and arrogance of power forced a farmer to commit suicide. “This is not just the death of a single farmer but the result of the government’s inhumane and insensitive policies,’’ he said. Arya said that the government should order a judicial inquiry in the incident and a case should be filed against the guilty police officers for abetment to suicide. He also demanded that a compensation of Rs 50 lakh should be immediately announced and one member of the family should be provided with a government job.
He alleged that farmers are not safe under the BJP government and there is no guarantee that the victims will receive justice. Arya said that the Congress will fight for justice to the family on the streets and in the Vidhan Sabha.
Congress national secretary Manoj Yadav, deputy leader of Congress legislature party Bhuwan Kapri, MLAs Tilak Raj Behed, Adesh Chauhan and others accompanied the two leaders.
