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Martyr's family runs pillar-to-post as promises remain unfulfilled

Staff Correspondent

A `sting operation' over the weekend exposes harassment and official apathy

CHANDIGARH: A sting operation of sorts carried out over the weekend has exposed the harassment, red tape and official apathy faced by the family

of a martyr, Nanak Chand, who as an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Delhi Police laid down his life while neutralising the terrorist attack on the Parliament on December 13, 2001.

Led by their Chairman, M.S. Bitta, the activists of the All India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF), over the weekend exposed the failure of the Regional Office of Ministry of Environment and Forests in granting a `No-Objection Certificate' (NOC) for a petrol pump, which was promised by the Union Government to the family five years ago. Though the martyr's family has been fighting the red tape in various departments all these years, the AIATF managed to get a peon and a personal assistant arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs 3000 on behalf of his superiors.

It was utter frustration, which turned Inderjit Singh and Ganga Devi, son and widow of Nanak Chand, respectively, into whistle blowers despite an insecure future staring them in the face. After the hype that followed the attack settled, this family of the martyr has been virtually on the road, with the authorities paying little heed.

Five years ago, when the sole bread earner of the family had sacrificed himself, the government had announced that a petrol pump in their name would be fully functional within four months. While till date the promise is yet to be realised, the family has exhausted its reserves, spending on travels between Sonepat and Chandigarh, to manage the plethora of clearances. When the officials at the Regional Office of Conservator of Forest and Environment, Northern Zone, allegedly sought bribe for granting the NOC, Inderjit Singh contacted Mr. Bitta, who organised a team from his front's Chandigarh unit and personally supervised the operation.

Mr. Bitta informed reporters that the proceedings of the sting operation were recorded on camera, which depicts AIATF members arriving immediately as the peon, accepted the "marked notes" from Inderjit Singh. He further said that the currency had been withdrawn from the AIATF bank account at New Delhi and the serial numbers of the notes has been recorded at the bank to meet future requirements of evidence in court.

Mr. Bitta said that the recording was provided to the Chandigarh Police, which handed over the matter to the Union Territory's (UT's) Vigilance Department. Following investigations, Gurmukh Singh and Rajesh Kumar, peon and Personal Assistant to the Nodal Officer in the Regional Office of Conservator of Forest and Environment, respectively, were booked and subsequently arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

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