PROTEST AGAINST AJAY’S MURDER CONTINUES AS KEY ACCUSED NOT HELD

Raj Sadosh/Abohar.

The family of Ajay Kumar, who was shot outside Shri Valmiki Mandir Dharamshala in Sant Nagar on September 27 and died during treatment at Bathinda later, continued dharna inside the Civil Hospital here.

A protest march was organised today afternoon through the main roads and an effigy of the state government was burnt.

The family of the deceased has refused to claim his body from the Civil Hospital. They have been sitting on a protest outside the mortuary, expressing their outrage against the Punjab government and demanding the arrest of those truly responsible for Ajay’s death. The family insists that action should be taken based on the statements Ajay made before his death.

Meanwhile, sewerage and sanitation workers have been on strike in support of the struggle led by the Valmiki community. The impact of this is clearly visible in the city’s sanitation conditions; even during the festive season, piles of garbage have accumulated in many areas.

On Sahitya Sadan Road, there is accumulation of contaminated sewage water. Stagnant, filthy water has collected on both sides of the road near the Government Girls’ School and the Government Senior Secondary School (for boys), forcing schoolchildren to wade through it. In the city’s main markets, the collapse of the sewerage system has left shopkeepers forced to endure a foul-smelling environment.

Municipal Corporation Mayor Pooja Wadhwa said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is failing to release sufficient funds for the city’s development, leaving various development projects in limbo.