Summary:
It was changed to Prem Kotli ahead of state assembly elections held in 2017, allegedly to please dera followers called as premis. A majority of the villagers were angry over the name change and held numerous protests against it. The entire action was videographed in the presence of panchayat secretary.The village has a considerable population of Dera Sacha Sauda followers.The village falling in the Maur block of Bathinda was mired in controversies over name. BATHINDA: Having won with a majority in the the village body elections on December 30, 2018, the panchayat of Prem Kotli held a meeting of gram sabha on Friday, where six out of 10 members signed a resolution for renaming the village as Kotli Khurd Hundreds of villagers who had assembled for the gram sabha too signed in the proceedings book. They intensified protest after August 25, 2017, when dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted of rape charges.In the panchayat elections, the group opposing name change to Prem Kotli won six seats out of 10, including the post of sarpanch.Sarpanch Satnam Singh said, “We want the village name to be changed to the original.”Panchayat secretary Gamdoor Singh said the proceedings of gram sabha were held under camera and the proceedings will be sent to panchayat department to accept the resolution..