Jaito tense, DSP’s gunman dies too

Faridkot, January 31

A day after Deputy Superintendent of Police Baljinder Singh Sandhu died of a bullet injury at Jaito, his gunman, battling for life at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, was declared dead this evening. Lal Singh was standing next to the DSP when a bullet pierced through the DSP’s head and then hit him.

With the police carrying out raids on the houses of students and members of a farmers’ union, there was palpable tension in Jaito and surrounding villages today. The police had yesterday filed a case of abetment to suicide against unidentified students and farmers after DSP Sandhu died while trying to quell a confrontation between students at the Punjabi University Regional Centre and Jaito SHO Gurmeet Singh, who had allegedly thrashed three students on January 12. The university centre remained shut today.
Buta Singh Burjgill, state president, BKU (Dakonda), claimed four students, two of them girls, had been rounded up. He said the police had raided the house of a BKU activist whose son Bikram Singh was present at the time of the unrest. The police alleged Bikram was brandishing a revolver. Burjgill said Bikram had an arms licence.
Blaming SHO Gurmeet Singh for the death of the DSP, who, he said, was a gentle person, he claimed the latter wanted the SHO to apologise. “The SHO agreed to do so and then did not show up at the DSP’s office, thus humiliating him.” The SHO rubbished the allegation.