Wan Tara Singh (Tarn Taran): The family members of Jugraj Singh and some villagers, who were earlier excited over Jugraj’s alleged act of hoisting the Khalsa flag atop Red Fort, sounded somewhat regretful and feared a possible police action.
Jugraj, a 23-year-old youth of Wan Tara Singh village in Tarn Taran district, was believed to have hoisted the Sikh religious flag Nishan Sahib from the rampart of Red Fort during a farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day in protest against the three farm laws.
Meanwhile, Jugraj’s parents allegedly escaped from the village leaving behind his grandparents to face the police and media.
“Bari kirpa hai Babae di, bahut sohan hai,” this was the reaction of Jugraj’s grandfather Mehal Singh on Tuesday when asked how he felt about his grandson’s act.
However, a day later, while responding to the same question, Mehal Singh replied: “We don’t know what or how it happened, he is a decent boy who never gave us any reason to complain in the past.”
Villagers said police had “raided” Jugraj’s house several times and returned empty handed on not finding him or his parents.
Another village elder Prem Singh who was also present in Mehal’s house said he watched the incident of flag hoisting on TV.
“Jugraj’s act is a definitely unfortunate one, but this young and innocent boy didn’t know the consequences of hoisting a flag in such a manner on Lal Qila, but then it was a spontaneous act and not a planned one, I myself saw on TV, the flags were already fluttering on tractors, somebody gave him a flag and prompted him to hoist and he climbed atop,” Prem Singh said, adding that Jugraj was a hardworking boy and was of clean background.
Echoing with Prem Singh, another villager Jagjit Singh said Jugraj had gone to Delhi along with other sangats on January 23 or 24. He said his family owned two to three acres of land and were debt ridden. He along with other youths of village also worked in a factory in Chennai for a few months in a year and was a very hardworking boy. He said Jugraj’s two sisters were married while the third one lived with the family.
“He is a healthy and good built boy, someone prompted him to do so and he didn’t give a second thought, that’s all, else he is a clean hearted boy,” Jagjit said.
The villagers also denied the possibility of foreign funding behind Jugraj’s act stating that such allegations could be verified through online transactions.
‘Exited’ over his ‘achievement’, a Sikh preacher had gone to his house on Tuesday and recorded a video wherein he himself claimed to be a ‘proud’ relative of Jugraj and also introduced Jugraj’s father Baldev Singh and grandfather Mahal Singh and as well as his grandmother and mother. In the 2.21-minute video, Jugraj’s grandfather could be heard showering praise on Jugraj.
Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police D H Nimble said since the FIR was not registered in Tarn Taran, the police here didn’t have any role to play so far.