This 102-yr-old ex-DSP has never missed chance to vote
LUDHIANA: Gurbakhsh Singh, 102, a retired DSP from the Punjab Police, never missed out a chance to vote in any elections.
Gurbakhsh, who lives near Kochar Market Chowk in the city, said he had participated in the first electoral process of Independent India in 1952. Even after his retirement in 1974, he continued to exercise his right to franchise.
Sunday was no aberration. Like any other day, he woke up early in the morning and offered prayers at a gurdwara in his locality and got ready to go for polling even as he faces difficulty in walking, his son Surinderbir Singh said.
“I decided to being the car in the porch for the convenience of my father. However, while reversing the vehicle, it collided with the window and the rear windscreen of his car got damaged,” said Surinderbir.
He said the local election office was then requested for the pick-and-drop facility.
“Though they assured us that a vehicle would soon come to pick him up, but none turned up.”
However, it did not deter the spirit of the centenarian and he went to the booth in the damaged car of his son.
However, the ordeal was not over yet. The vehicle was not allowed to enter the polling station at Government Senior Secondary School for Boys, Jawahar Nagar. Instead of entering into any argument with anyone, the old man decided to walk and cast his vote.
Gurbakhsh was not alone, the tall claims of the election commission of providing pick-anddrop facility to the senior citizens proved to be mere eyewash as many senior citizens and differently abled people were found stranded at the polling centres across the city.