E-Paper
Lawyer’s murder: Punjab and Haryana HC seeks probe report from Punjab Police
The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought a detailed report from Punjab Police on a plea seeking constitution of a special investigation team into the murder of a Hoshiarpur lawyer, Bhagwant Kishore Gupta on Diwali night in 2020.
The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought a detailed report from Punjab Police on a plea seeking constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) into the murder of a Hoshiarpur lawyer, Bhagwant Kishore Gupta on Diwali night in 2020.
The high court bench of justice Anoop Chitkara, acted on the plea of Sumanendra Gupta, son of the lawyer and directed that the response be submitted by Senior Superintendent of Police, Hoshiarpur and Superintendent of Police (detective), Hoshiarpur by April 11. The court further ordered that if they fail do so Director General of Police (DGP) would have to submit the response.
Gupta, a senior practising lawyer, and his assistant, Siya Khullar, also a lawyer, were found murdered in a burnt car on Phagwara-Chandigarh bypass in 2020.
The plea demands that area magistrate be ordered to initiate property attachment proceedings of the proclaimed offenders, the special officers be appointed to trace main accused and steps be taken to protect the family.
The plea terms murder a case of contract killing and says same gets established from the statement of one Rahul Singh, arrested from Uttar Pradesh by the police, who had linked one Ashish Singh alias Ashish Khushwaha with the murder.
The plea says it is a classic case where Punjab Police have “tried to hush up” the gruesome murder under the garb of motor vehicle accident.
As per plea there was a matrimonial dispute between Ashish and the assistant, and the father tried to sort out the differences. On November 13, 2020 the father had gone to Ashish Singh’s house where heated arguments took place, the plea says adding that the police had tried to hush-up the murder in the garb of accident and proceeded with inquest proceedings and FIR was registered only after a representation from the petitioner.
The plea claims the accused belongs to Bulandshahar in UP and is connected to a political family. Since beginning, the officials are not performing their duty and are not making any attempt to trace him and other accused persons despite the fact that he was declared proclaimed offender in October 21, it added.
