Joint Workers' Front demands a case be registered against the Finance Minister regarding the Toorvanjara suicide case

Joint Workers' Front demands a case be registered against the Finance Minister regarding the Toorvanjara suicide case

Condemnation of political leaders for leveling allegations against labor leaders

Labor leaders share grief with the affected family

Chandigarh 14 September ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : A joint front of rural and farm labor organizations has demanded the registration of a case against Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema—based on the deceased's statements—regarding the death of laborer Gulzar Singh. Gulzar Singh had been driven to suicide after being harassed by an AAP Sarpanch and the police, allegedly at the Finance Minister's behest, for questioning the Minister about the growing drug problem in the village of Toor Banjara (Sangrur). The front has also demanded appropriate compensation and a job for the victim's family, as well as the immediate provision of all benefits available under the SC/ST Act. Leaders of the Joint Workers' Front—including Lachman Singh Sewewala, Gobind Singh Chhajli, Devi Kumari Sarhali Kalan, Darshan Nahar, Kulwant Singh Selvara, Mukesh Maloud, Tarsem Peter, and Chamkaur Singh Kheri—issued a statement condemning the AAP government and the police for committing a heinous act by preventing the last rites of the deceased, Gulzar Singh, and desecrating his body; they demanded that action be taken against the guilty police officials. They further stated that a delegation of labor organization leaders met with the deceased's wife and children today to express their condolences.

Labor leaders have strongly condemned the leaders of ruling-class parties for leveling baseless allegations against labor leaders and the Action Committee regarding the Toor-Vanjara issue, thereby attempting to tarnish the reputation of organizations fighting for workers' interests. They described such rhetoric as the result of the animosity harbored by anti-people politicians towards labor organizations. They asserted that, in addition to the labor leaders involved, a teacher leader within the committee possesses a distinguished history of struggling for the public interest—a legacy that cannot be sullied by the statements of any political leader.

Labor leaders stated that even during the tenures of governments led by those who now deliberately malign the committee, horrific incidents involving brutal atrocities against the Dalit community continued to occur. They pointed out that just as incidents like the Toor-Banjara case are taking place under the AAP government, no one has forgotten the heart-wrenching incident during the Congress regime in the village of Changaliwala (Sangrur district), where a Dalit laborer was tortured to death and forced to drink urine by individuals close to former Chief Minister Bhattal. He stated that during the Akali regime, in the district's village of Jaloor—where a demand was being raised for a one-third share of panchayat land—an upper-caste mob led by village strongmen, acting with political patronage and in the presence of the police, killed elderly Mata Gurdev Kaur and injured dozens of laborers; yet, ironically, the victims themselves were imprisoned on charges such as attempted murder. He said that due to being out of Sata during such atrocities, Bhagwant Mann used to be the Messiah of Dalits and used to shed crocodile tears. He invited all the justice-loving people of Punjab to be aware of the nefarious designs of the opportunistic political parties and come forward to bring justice to the victim's family of Gulzar Singh.