Pulwama martyr’s widow angry, to reject Punjab’s Rs 12 lakh aid

CHANDIGARH/BATHINDA: The family of CRPF head constable Jaimal Singh, who was driving the bus blown apart in Pulwama by a JeM suicide bomber on February 14, is angry with the Punjab government.


His widow Sukhjit Kaur said on Tuesday the family would not accept the compensation offered by the Amarinder Singh government and would return the cheque of Rs 5 lakh presented to them by Punjab minister Gurpreet Kangar. “I don’t want any compensation from the Punjab government. Sometime back, minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar gave us a cheque of Rs 5 lakh out of Rs 12 lakh as promised by the state government. But now, I will be returning that money as well,” Sukhjit told TOI.

Jaimal, who had joined CRPF as a constable when he was only 19 on April 23, 1993, is survived by his parents, Jaswant Singh and Sukhwinder Kaur, wife Sukhjit, son Gurparkash and younger brother Nasib Singh.

Upset family to write to PM, Nirmala
Punjab had announced Rs 12 lakh financial assistance along with a government job to the kin of the Pulwama martyrs from the state.

The family from Ghalauti village in Punjab’s Moga district is upset that no one from the government took time to contact them after the bhog ceremony on February 23 and said it will not accept any help from the state government. “If the Rajasthan government is giving Rs 50 lakhs to the families then why Punjab is giving Rs 12 lakh? It is like they are insulting us. We hoped that the state government will stand by us but after the memorial service on February 23, no one from state government ever cared to contact us to know under which circumstances we are living,” Sukhjit said.

The family is so upset that they have decided to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, complaining about the Punjab government.

When contacted, Kangar said, “I had no idea that Rs 7 lakh have not been provided to the family. I will inquire into it and if there is no issue of code of conduct, I will ensure it is delivered in a day or so. If it cannot not be given due to code of conduct, it will be paid immediately after lifting of code of conduct. Our government is committed towards the families of the martyrs.”

Commenting on the issue, Moga DC Sandeep Hans said, “Rs 5 lakh has been handed over as first instalment of compensation to the family of head constable Jaimal Singh. The second instalment of Rs 7 lakh, including Rs 1 lakh each to his mother and father, will be provided soon. A reminder has been sent to the government.”

The Shiromani Akali Dal said the state government should match the compensation awarded by other state governments. “It is sad that the government is taking such a long time to release the amount. The state government should compensate them appropriately. If other state governments are giving more, then Punjab government should give the same. There should be an inquiry as to why the government took so much of time to give the amount to the families. There is no point in giving the compensation in instalments,” SAD spokesperson Daljeet Cheema told TOI.

Asked for his comments, Faridkot MP Sadhu Singh said it was unfortunate that the state government had not fulfilled its commitment towards the martyr’s family and had not made any contact to provide solace to the bereaved family.