The Hisar police on Sunday arrested the main accused in the murder of dairy operator Jeevan Kundu from Gujarat, 19 days after the killing that had triggered protests by Khap panchayats and farmers’ organisations, leading to a two-week standoff over the victim’s cremation.
Siddhant Jain, Hisar superintendent of police (SP) told HT that Ramesh Sharma, who had been absconding since the August 4 murder, was arrested from Junagadh in Gujarat along with two associates after tireless efforts by the joint team of the CIA Mill Gate and personnel from the HTM police station. The SP said they are being brought to Hisar. A reward of ₹50,000 had been announced for information leading to his arrest. A reward of ₹50,000 had been announced for information leading to his arrest.
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Mounting pressure for arrest
The arrest comes after a fortnight of protests over the case. Khap and farmers’ organisations had refused to allow Kundu’s cremation for 14 days, demanding the arrest of the main accused. The cremation finally took place in Kinala village on the 15th day after chief minister Nayab Singh Saini assured the protesters that action would be taken.
{{/usCountry}}The arrest comes after a fortnight of protests over the case. Khap and farmers’ organisations had refused to allow Kundu’s cremation for 14 days, demanding the arrest of the main accused. The cremation finally took place in Kinala village on the 15th day after chief minister Nayab Singh Saini assured the protesters that action would be taken.
{{/usCountry}}The case had also led to a major confrontation on Independence Day. On August 15, hundreds of protesters attempted to reach the venue of the CM’s district-level flag-hoisting programme at Nehru College in Hansi to protest the alleged delay in Atri’s arrest.
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Dairy operator beaten to death
Kundu, a dairy operator, was allegedly surrounded and beaten to death with sticks and other weapons by 10-12 neighbours on August 4 following a dispute over dumping cow dung. His death sparked widespread anger in the area.
Before Atri’s arrest, Hisar police had arrested nine accused in the case, including Bhanu Kumar, Gajender alias Gajju Pandit, and Sahil. Ramesh remained the principal accused and had been on the run since the incident.
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The arrest is likely to ease tensions surrounding the case, which had evolved from a local murder into a politically sensitive issue involving khap organisations, farmer groups, and the local administration.