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Ludhiana: Kin of slain bizman protest on NH for 5 hours, seek arrest of accused
The family has also refused to cremate Harjinder’s body, asserting that the last rites will not be performed until every accused named in the FIR is arrested
Traffic on the Ludhiana-Delhi National Highway near Basti Jodhewal came to a standstill for nearly five hours on Sunday after the family and relatives of 25-year-old Harjinder Singh staged a protest demanding the immediate arrest of all the accused involved in his murder. The blockade, which lasted from noon to 5pm, triggered massive traffic snarls and left hundreds of commuters stranded.
The family has also refused to cremate Harjinder’s body, asserting that the last rites will not be performed until every accused named in the FIR is arrested.
The protesters accused the police of failing to arrest the accused despite two days having passed since the murder and demanded the suspension of local police officials for alleged inaction.
“He was the only son of his parents. His mother collapsed after hearing about his death and is not keeping well. Neither we will move from here nor we will perform his last rites until all the accused are arrested,” Harjinder’s aunt told reporters.
The family also alleged that Ravi and other accused had been booked in an earlier case, but the police failed to arrest them alleging that Harjinder’s life could have been saved, had the cops acted then.
Harjinder was shot dead over rivalry
Harjinder was shot dead late Friday night after a group of armed men allegedly intercepted his car when he was with his friends heading home after dinner in Swatantar Nagar.
According to the police and the family, the assailants dragged him out of the vehicle, assaulted him with iron rods and sticks, breaking both his legs and arms, before shooting him at least five times. He died at the spot, while his three friends managed to escape.
Six booked, rivalry angle under probe
Tibba police had registered an FIR on the complaint of Harjinder’s father, Jawahar Singh, naming Ravi, Sunny Malton, Mohit and Bheenu, along with two unidentified accomplices, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act.
Police suspect the murder was the fallout of an existing rivalry involving Harjinder’s friend Sandeep. Investigators said Harjinder had been attempting to broker a compromise between Sandeep and members of the rival group.
Inspector Gaganpreet Singh, SHO, Tibba police station, said one of the rival group members, Amandeep Kaku, had been arrested about a week before the murder in an earlier attempt-to-murder case. “After Amandeep’s arrest, the accused allegedly suspected Harjinder of betraying them and blamed him for the arrest. This appears to have led to the attack,” the SHO said.
Commuters caught in gridlock
The five-hour blockade left traffic crawling on the national highway, with long queues of vehicles stretching across the Basti Jodhewal stretch.
“We understand the family’s pain and their demand for justice, but the blockade has left hundreds of commuters stranded. The administration should intervene immediately and address the family’s concerns without allowing the highway to remain blocked,” said Ashok Jindal, a commuter from Jalandhar travelling to Panipat.
Another commuter, Ravinder Singh from Phagwara, said, “The family has every right to demand justice after such a brutal murder, but the police and administration should resolve the matter quickly so that commuters are not made to suffer.”
Accused’s father booked for allegedly sheltering him
The Tibba police on Sunday booked Parshotam Lal of Chandarlok Colony, father of accused Ravi, for allegedly sheltering his son despite knowing that he was wanted in an earlier criminal case.
According to the FIR lodged on the statement of ASI Amrik Singh, Ravi had been booked in May under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. Police alleged that Parshotam Lal knowingly provided him shelter to help him evade arrest.
