Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 5: A strong protest erupted today in village N S Pura in Pargwal tehsil, as hundreds of villagers from three ‘morhas’ staged a demonstration against Tehsildar Pargwal, Manjeet Singh. The protesters accused the official of attempting to gift the village’s decades-old cremation ground (‘Shamshanghat’) to land mafias.
The protest, led by notable villagers such as Rattan Lal, ex-Sarpanch of N S Pura, Rachpal Chand (Lambardar), and others including Ravi Kumar, Yash Pal (ex-Panch), and 90-year-old Sadru Ram, saw vociferous demands for halting the encroachment. They alleged that despite the cremation ground being in use for over 30 years by the villagers of three ‘morhas’, the Tehsildar has now targeted the land for illegal takeover.
The villagers also pointed to a work order issued on August 30, 2023, by the office of the Executive Engineer REW Jammu, sanctioning Rs 2.90 lakh for the construction of a plinth boundary around the cremation ground. The construction was reportedly completed.
Appealing to the LG Administration, the protesters stressed the essential need for the ‘Shamshanghat’ for future cremations. They questioned the Tehsildar’s actions, sarcastically stating that “perhaps the Tehsildar believes he is immortal and immune from the cycle of life and death.”
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