Victims deserted by their ‘Pitaji’

PATIALA/SANGRUR: “My father and brother had gone to Panchkula with firm belief in Pitaji (Dear Father) and Dera Sacha Sauda. Now, my elder brother Munish Kumar is no more — he died of a bullet to his head — while my father is battling for life at a PGI hospital in Chandigarh. No one from the dera has come to help us,” said Mohit Kumar, 16, a resident of Dashmesh Nagar of Patiala.

He was referring to the aftermath of dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction in a rape case by a CBI court in Panchkula, 65km away, in which more than 30 devotees were killed in clashes with security forces.

The family owns a grocery shop, which stocks the dera’s MSG brand of products.

Mohit added, “No one from the dera has come to see my injured father (Baljinder Kumar, in his 50s). I, with some relatives, went to Chandigarh to claim the body of my brother. For my father, it will take another month to heal the bullet wounds.” The body of the brother, Munish Kumar 22, was brought from the Panchkula civil hospital and kept for Saturday night at the local Rajindra Hospital.

Another victim from the district was identified as Gurpal Singh of Garga village near Patran. He was 32.

In Sangrur, two victims were identified as Ranjit Singh, 28, from Lehragaga village, and Uggar Sain, 42, a resident of Dudian in

Moonak sub-division.

Ranjit was a labourer and had gone to Panchkula on August 23. His father is also a labourer. “They are poor and earn their livelihood from daily wages,” Anil Kumar, president of the Lehra nagar council, told HT.

Uggar was a ‘Bhangi Dass’, a leadership post in the sect, and was otherwise a farmer. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. They are not ready to discuss the issue. His relatives said that no one has offered any help to family, and it would be difficult to survive for the family.

“They had gone to Panchkula ahead of Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s rape case verdict. As per reports, they have been killed in the violence and their relatives are planning to go to Panchkula to get their bodies,” said Ajaypal Singh, deputy superintendent of police, Moonak.

No one from the dera has come to see my injured father. I with some relatives went to Chandigarh to claim the body of my brother.