‘Surely, husband didn’t risk his life for mud’

Chandigarh : “I would tell him you cannot fight the system. But he was adamant on fighting the corrupt. Now, he lies in the trauma ward, battered and listless, even as the attackers (sand mafia) have been given a clean chit, claiming they were ferrying mud. Surely, my husband (Block Forest Officer Devinder Singh) would not have endangered his life for mud,” says a broken Sukhwinder Kaur. The forest officer was brutally attacked by the mining mafia in Seonk village in Mohali 10 days ago. All six accused have been arrested.Oscillating between anger and despair, Sukhwinder Kaur, along with her brother-in-law Dharminder Singh, have been tending to the officer at PGI’s trauma ward. She is bitter with the Mohali police. “How can they say the accused were ferrying mud for levelling land? Is it that they want to help the accused, who obviously have political links? Why should any officer perform his duty diligently when nobody stands by him?” she asks angrily.