Dramatic scenes unfolded at the Civil Hospital in Ropar as the body of Balwinder Kaur, a member of the Assistant Professors and Librarians Front, was recovered from the Sirhind canal near Ropar and brought to the hospital today. This incident triggered a series of high-profile visits and demands for action.
Among those who arrived at the hospital was senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Majithia, who called for the immediate arrest of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains in connection with Kaur’s death.
The backstory to this incident dates back to October 2021 when the recruitment process for 1,158 professors and librarians began. By December, appointment letters were issued to 607 of the candidates, but only 124 of them were able to assume their duties. The remaining 483 were prevented from joining their positions due to various petitions lodged against the recruitment process.
Majithia, along with other prominent SAD leaders, including Daljit Singh Cheema, Sarabjit Singh Jhinjar, and Arshdeep Singh Kler, visited the protest site of the teachers and Kaur’s family home in Nurpur Bedi. Majithia pledged to continue his protest at the hospital until the responsible minister was charged in connection with Kaur’s tragic death.
Further support for Kaur’s family and their cause came from BJP leader and Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, and his son, Ajay Vir Singh Lalpura, the district president of the BJP in Ropar. They echoed the demand for justice on behalf of the deceased.
Earlier, senior Congress leaders, including Partap Singh Bajwa, Rana KP Singh, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Pargat Singh, and Brinder Singh Dhillon, also visited the protest site at Gambhirpur village. Ropar’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Vivek Sheel Soni, met with SAD leaders to explain that the police had already initiated action against the husband and father-in-law of the deceased based on her brother’s statement and were investigating the suicide note found at Kaur’s residence. Nevertheless, the SAD leaders insisted that a criminal case be registered against the minister, citing the contents of the suicide note. The Assistant Professors and Librarians Front, frustrated with the government’s perceived lack of commitment to resolving their issues, commenced an indefinite protest on August 31 near the residence of the Education Minister.