Punjab: Govt announces Rs 20 lakh for kin of Dalit man killed in Sangrur

Punjab government on Monday announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for the family of the Dalit man who was thrashed in Sangrur and later succumbed to his injuries.

The government will provide 37-year-old Jagmail Singh's widow with a Group-D job near her residence and free ration to the family for up to six months, an official release said.

It would also provide Rs 1.25 lakh for the repair of Singh's house and free education to his children studying in Class ninth, sixth and first, up to the graduation level.

"The entire expenditure on the 'bhog' of the deceased would be borne by the state government," the press release said.

The decision was announced after a meeting between three Cabinet Ministers and other high officials with the deceased's widow Manjit Kaur and other family members at the Chief Minister's Office here.

The family lifted its protest dharna outside the residence of former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal at her native village Lehra.

The Chief Minister has ordered a comprehensive probe by ADGP Gurpreet Deo into the murder case, an official spokesperson said.

"The Chief Minister has ordered the police to file the challan in the case within a week. All effort would be made to ensure stringent punishment for the culprits within three months," the spokesperson said.

The ADGP has also been mandated to probe the lapses by the officers, if any, to fix their accountability.

On November 7, the Dalit man was tied to a pillar, beaten mercilessly by four men and was forced to drink urine when he asked for water over a property dispute in Changaliwala village. He later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Chandigarh on Saturday.