Punjab’s senior police official has quit his job to “stand with farmer brothers” in their ongoing agitation.
Putting in his papers to support the farmers’ ongoing agitation against the Centre’s farm laws, Punjab’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (Prisons) Lakhminder Singh Jakhar on Sunday said that the pieces of legislation were “detrimental to the interest of farmers and their future generations”.
Stating that he would now be joining the farmers' protest after resigning from his duty, Jakhar has also offered to deposit three months salary of notice period and other arrears as well, so that he can be relieved at the earliest.
The Government, till the filing of the report, is yet to accept his resignation.
Jakhar, in his resignation letter submitted to the Principal Secretary (Home) on Saturday, wrote, “I Capt Lakhminder Singh Jakhar, DIG, Prisons would like to inform you of my considered and introspective decision to stand with my farmer brothers who are peacefully protesting against the Farm Ordinances,2020 which are detrimental to the interest of farmers and their future generations.”
“As I am myself a farmer by birth and same being inherited to me from my forefathers who tilled their agricultural lands with hands to grow food and serve mankind. I have always listened to my conscience and now I earnestly feel that I should stand by my brotherhood,” he stated in the letter.
“Farmers have been protesting peacefully for long. Nobody heard their problems. I am from a disciplined force and as per rules, I can’t support a protest if I am on duty. I have to decide about my job first then decide further course of action,” Jakhar said.
“As per rules, I have to give three months’ notice for such an action or I have to submit the paid allowances of that period if I want to resign today. I am ready to deposit the amount because I have to go now. I am a farmer’s son and I am proud of it,” he added.
Jakhar said that he would be depositing “a sum equivalent to any amount of pay and allowances as required by the Government in the treasury to exempt me from the stipulated time of advance notice. It is, therefore, requested that I may be treated as prematurely retired from service with effect from today that is December 12, 2020”.
Due to retire in 2022, Jakhar’s services were placed under suspension in May this year pending an inquiry on corruption charges. However, he was reinstated in September following a preliminary inquiry, but continues to face a regular probe.
The 56 years old cop was suspended on May 8 this year for allegedly taking bribe during his visit to sub jail at Patti but had been reinstated on September 14 pending departmental inquiry and presently posted as DIG (Headquarter) at the Punjab prisons department head office at Chandigarh and was set to retire in August 2022.
Before joining the state prisons department, he had served in the Army for five years between 1989 and 1994.
Jakhar had also hit the headlines in 2012 when, as the Patiala jail superintendent, he had returned the death warrants of former Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassin Balwant Singh Rajona lodged in Patiala Central Jail.
Facing contempt charges for the move, Jakhar had submitted that under the manual for the superintendent and management of prisons, a jail superintendent could return the warrants.
The contempt proceedings were subsequently dropped against Jakhar.
Notably, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at various border points of Delhi to protest the new farm laws, which they fear will dismantle the minimum support price (MSP) and mandi system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporates.