Tribune News Service

Sangrur, August 6

The "Sunil Agwa Action Committee" has planned to organise a massive dharna on August 9 in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner here and relay fast by a group of five members daily from August 10 to protest against the failure of the police in locating a one-year-old dalit boy, Sunil Kumar, who was abducted on July 19 by a woman from a temple near the main bus stand here.

Stating this here today, Mr Pali Ram Bansal, convener of the action committee, said a decision to organise dharna and relay fast had been taken at a meeting of the committee here last night.

Mr Bansal said the meeting also passed a resolution condemning the efforts of the alleged 'touts" of the administration with regard to forcing the action committee not to take up the issue in a big way as the actions of the committee were maligning the image of the police and the administration.

Mr Bansal added the action committee members had received telephone calls from unknown persons who had warned them to abandon the issue or be ready to face the consequences. He said despite threats from various quarters, the action committee had pledged not to succumb the such pressures and would continue the agitation to its logical end. Mr Bansal said Mr Parkash Chand Garg, Chairman of the Punjab State Land Development and Reclamation Corporation, also condemned the district authorities for not visiting the aggrieved family to express sympathy or console the family so far. Mr Garg had assured full support to the action committee, he added.

Among others, who attended the meeting, included Comrade Chand Singh Chopra, a former MLA, Mr Avinash Sharma, an employees' leader from the PSEB, Comrade Kaur Sain (CPI) and Mr Harinderpal Singh, president of the local unit of the SAD (A).