Navjot Kaur, who died after cop’s car hit her, was the sole breadwinner of her family

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 18

Hailing from a family trapped in the quagmire of poverty, 22-year-old Navjot Kaur, who was mowed down by a policeman’s car this morning, was the sole breadwinner of her family of six members.

A resident of Dhanowali village in Jalandhar, Navjot had been working at a car showroom for the past over a year. Navjot and her friend were mowed down this morning by a car driven by a cop while they were standing by the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway. Both of them are residents of Dhanowali village.

While Navjot’s father Ranjit Singh is a daily-wage labourer, the family primarily depended on Navjot to make ends meet. Besides Navjot, there was her mother Tejinder Kaur, father Ranjit Singh and three sisters, one of whom is polio-stricken since childhood and bed-ridden in the family. While one of her sisters is married, another one is studying.

Sukhwinder Singh, who is next-door neighbour of Navjot, said, “Her demise has left the entire family devastated. She was their only hope. She was a good-natured girl. The family lives in extreme poverty. Her father Ranjit Singh works as a daily wager who is unable to find work due to his age and ill health. They depended totally on Navjot. She started going to work over a year ago and the family somehow made ends meet.”

He said, “Her mother took care of house and remained busy mostly with her handicapped sister, who does not speak anything. The sisters have a fifth sibling, who was adopted, but do not live with the family.”

Hailing from an agrarian family, the family had little land. Navjot’s father also visited the kisan morcha regularly, which was held at Dhanowali a few days ago.

Her friend, Mamta (30), who was injured in the accident, had been working at the same car showroom for the last nine years. She is currently being treated at a local private hopistal.

Naresh, a cousin of Mamta, said, “Her condition is better and hope she would recover soon.” He said both had been going to office together for the past many months.

Naresh said, “Navjot also came to attend my birthday party. She had brought a cake for me. She came from a poor family. The incident that happened this morning will remain etched in our minds. We never thought that she would meet such a fate.”