About two dozen such Punjab police employees today met local BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and narrated their tales of woes. Sidhu promised to take up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and spoke to DGP, Punjab, N.P.S. Aulakh over phone, who assured him an immediate action into the matter. Sidhu even went to the extent of offering one-month salary to the SPOs from his own pocket.

“I am moved by their sorry state and am ready to dig into my own pocket to help them if they were not paid their salaries in the coming month’’, said Sidhu. He said that their salaries had been stopped during the previous Congress regime and he would personally meet Chief Minister and Finance Minister over the issue shortly. Sidhu said scores of SPOs had laid down their lives during their fight against terrorism in the state and many of them had put in more than 15 years of service. “Their salaries have not been paid even though they were performing their duties regularly,” Sidhu lamented.

Major Singh, an SPO, said that his two children could not continue their schools as he failed to pay their fee. He said after the duty hours, he did sundry jobs to make both ends meet. “I have also raised loan which I am unable to repay now,” added Major. Similarly, Pargat Singh, working in the DIG office, complained that their pleas to release salaries had fallen on deaf ears of the government.