terrorist families back to democracy

Brothers of two Khalistan ultras win in Simbal Camp
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Newly-elected sarpanch Rabinder Singh Binder lies on a bed at his house in the RS Pura sector in Jammu
Newly-elected sarpanch Rabinder Singh Binder lies on a bed at his house in the RS Pura sector in Jammu. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma

Simbal Camp (RS Pura), May 4
It is a victory of democracy and secularism here as members of the families of some most wanted Khalistan militants have won the panchayat elections. The positive aspect is that they were supported by the people belonging to other religions and communities.

The top of the list is Rabinder Singh Binder, younger brother of Ranjeet Singh Neeta, one of the 20 most wanted terrorists of the country. Binder is also the brother-in-law of Ravinder Kaur, the first woman human bomb in Punjab, who also belonged to Simbal Camp village.

While Neeta, as per the last reports, was in Pakistan trying to regroup the Khalistan Zindabad Force, his brother Binder played an instrumental role in the development activities in Simbal Camp village. He also helped in the regularisation of land records, which continued in the name of pre-1947 owners and got a road to his village constructed after many decades.

Egged on by villagers to contest the elections, Binder then organised rallies on the premises of a temple and emerged victorious by securing over 80 per cent of non-Sikh votes. Remarkably, he had suffered multiple fractures in leg and arms in a road accident in March and addressed a couple of rallies while lying on a bed. However, he could not do aggressive campaigning.

“My victory is the victory of democracy and secularism. I hope the government will give special attention towards the development of my village. I have already got installed streetlights at main chowks in the village,” Binder said.

He added that leaders of all political parties encouraged him to contest the panchayat elections, but he was especially indebted to the Congress and Cabinet minister Raman Bhalla for helping him. “I don’t want to talk much about Neeta. But for me, winning the panchayat elections and doing development work is the right way,” he said. He remembered how he and his family members were tortured several times when Punjab was fighting terrorism.

While Binder has won from the Nihalpur Simbal-Lower panchayat, Raja Singh, the younger brother of another Khalistan militant, Mohinder Singh Pappi, has won from the Dheendi Kalan-Lower seat.

Both seats were in Simbal Camp village, a name synonymous with terrorism during its peak time in Punjab. The Punjab Police used to raid this place regularly then. Later, the Central government stationed two battalions of the Indian Reserve Police here.

Raja Singh said, “Bloodshed and violence wreck havoc only”. “We can make a difference by sitting across the table. Development brings equality and it is the only solution,” he added.

courtesy : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110505/j&k.htm#3