2 held for hatching conspiracy to kill Balala sarpanch

One of their accomplices, however, managed to flee, the police said

The Samrala police on Tuesday arrested two persons for allegedly hatching conspiracy to kill Balala sarpanch Jatinder Singh Joga Balala over a political rivalry.

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One of their accomplices, however, managed to flee, the police said.

Those arrested have been identified as Rajpal, a worker of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Kulwinder Singh alias Seepa, the police said.

The accused who evaded arrest is Beant Singh of Balala village.

Joga Balala, who is also a member of zila parishad and a Congress leader, said he had come to know about the conspiracy through one of his friends Jagjit Singh Bharthala.

“I immediately alerted the cops following which, Samrala police lodged an FIR and arrested Rajpal. He had also contested sarpanch elections against me, but could not win,” Joga Balala said.

He claimed that the accused had been nursing a grudge against him ever since and “wanted to kill him”.

“They had threatened me several times, but I didn’t take the threats seriously,” he added.

“On Tuesday, Bharthala informed me that the accused had hatched a conspiracy to kill me during a procession on Makar Sankranti,” Joga Balala said.

Sub-inspector Jaswinder Singh, who is investigating the matter, said that a first information report (FIR) under Sections 302 (murder), read with 115 and 120-B, of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the accused.

Efforts are on to arrest Beant Singh, he added.