In Chandigarh, Sunil Jakhar, the State President of the BJP, announced that he will participate in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s debate on November 1st. He stated that their discussion will encompass not only the SYL issue but also the concerns of employees awaiting appointment letters in Punjab. Jakhar emphasized that they will seek answers from the government, not provide them. The debate is scheduled to take place in Ludhiana.
On Wednesday, Sunil Jakhar, accompanied by Baldev, the brother of Assistant Professor Balwinder Kaur, who tragically committed suicide in Ropar, visited Governor Banwarilal Purohit in Chandigarh. During the meeting, Jakhar mentioned that instead of “Assistant Professors Struggle Morcha 1158,” they now have to write “Assistant Professors Struggle Morcha 1157.”
Jakhar accused the Punjab government of being controlled by Arvind Kejriwal from Delhi, claiming that Bhagwant Mann is merely a puppet Chief Minister appointed by Kejriwal. He criticized the government for not heeding the concerns of farmers, youth, teachers, and other stakeholders, deeming it arrogant.
Sunil Jakhar stated that Assistant Professor Balwinder Kaur was forced into suicide by Education Minister Harjot Bans. This is evident from her suicide note. She was compelled to stage a protest to get her demands met. Harjot Bains tried to stop wages of women laborers working under MGNREGA to end the protest. Upon voicing their concerns, female professors found solidarity in the form of support from female laborers who joined their protest. This authoritarian administration resorting deplorable measures when dealing with any segment of society that dares to voice their grievances against it.
In Punjab, 1158 Assistant Professors are waiting for station assignments after being appointed. However, due to the lack of station allotment, they had to protest against the government. This protest has been ongoing for the last 58 days. Four days ago, Balwinder Kaur, an Assistant Professor of Political Science residing in the village of Rupnagar, tragically committed suicide.
A suicide note was discovered at the scene, in which she held Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bans responsible for her death. She also demanded that a case be filed against him in her suicide note.
