Panchayati election contestant commit suicide after nomination withdrawal; 7 booked

PATIALA: In a tragic turn, a contestant for the post of member panchayat in Nardu village of Patiala allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison after he was allegedly pressurized to withdraw his nominations and later faced harassment by some villagers blaming him for withdrawing papers in return of money. The police have registered a case against seven accused who are residents of this village.
The deceased identified as Gulzar Mohammad, 50, of Nardu village in Ghanour of Patiala district had filed his nomination for the position of Panch (village council member) however on Wednesday he took his own life by consuming poison following which he was rushed to government hospital but succumbed to injuries.
The deceased’s son Sajrukh Khan, lodged a complaint at the Kheri Gandia police station, stating that his father was being harassed by some villagers, who wanted someone else to become Panch and were continuously mounting political pressure on his father Gulzar after which, his father withdrew his nomination. He further alleged that later the accused started to spread the rumours in the village that Gulzar Mohammad had taken money to withdraw his nomination.
“Distressed by the constant harassment, he consumed poison. He was then admitted to the government hospital in Rajpura for treatment, but seeing his critical condition, he was referred to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, where doctors declared him dead. Two of the seven accused are contesting for the position of Sarpanch and Panch respectively. There were three villagers including my father who were contesting for position of Panch. After my father withdrew nominations, two others are still contesting from our ward for the Panch”, said Sajrukh Khan.
The police have identified the accused as Sarabjit Singh, Raj, Sharanjit Singh, Jatinder Singh, Tarlochan Singh, Tara Singh, and Gurmeet Singh of involvement. The Kheri Gandia police have registered case number 72 under sections 108, 351(2,3), 121(1), and 122 of the BNS Act.