Chhattisgarh history-sheeter kills police constable’s wife, daughter

Hours before the murder, the accused threw boiling oil at another constable in a market area and attempted to run over a police team while fleeing

A history-sheeter out on bail ransacked the house of a head constable and killed his wife and minor daughter on Sunday night, within hours after throwing boiling oil at another constable in a market area in Chhatttisgarh’s Surajpur district, police said.

Police said they have formed seven teams to nab the accused. (Representational image)

Surajpur superintendent of police MR Ahire said that Kuldeep Sahu, a history-sheeter accused in murder and loot cases, attacked constable Ghanshyam Sonwani after a brief argument in a market area on Sunday evening and attempted to run over a police team while fleeing.

“Sonwani sustained burn injuries and is now in hospital. Subsequently, he went to the house of head constable Talib Shaikh, who was on duty during a Durga procession, and killed his minor daughter and his wife. Shiekh reached his house late at night and found that his house was ransacked, and blood stains were everywhere. I was informed and I rushed to the scene and a search started. Police recovered the bodies of the woman and her daugther from Pidha village on Monday morning,” said the SP.

Police said they have formed seven teams to nab the accused.

“In an attempt to arrest Sahu, police fired at his car, bursting a tire, but the suspect managed to escape,” said the SP. “We will not rest until Sahu is caught and teams are searching for him. It is an attack on police and will not be tolerated,” he added.

Meanwhile, residents of Surajpur town set vehicles outside Sahu’s residence on fire, protesting the killings.

Reacting to the incident, former chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel expressed concern over the law-and-order situation in the state.

“…In Surajpur, the wife and daughter of a head constable were murdered. The same killer had previously poured hot oil on a constable. The public has lost all faith in law and order and the government, and people are now taking matters into their own hands. I am distressed to hear about the incidents of arson in homes. The same thing happened in Loharidiha, Kawardha. Earlier, people had set fire to the collectorate. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and humbly request that they do not take the law into their own hands. The administration is expected to control the situation,” Baghel wrote on X.