Argument over Jat quota turns bloody in Najafgarh, 2 killed

Two ex-servicemen working as private security officers (PSOs) of property dealers and financiers associated with gangster-turned-politician Krishan Pehalwan were shot dead by another PSO and his aides at his farmhouse.

Bullets rang again at Dichaon Kalan in west Delhi’s Najafgarh — Delhi’s ‘badlands’ that has witnessed bloody gang wars in recent years over one-upmanship and gang rivalries.

Two personal security officers of former councillor Krishan Pehelwan were shot dead outside his house in Najafgarh. (Representational Image: Shutterstock)

This time it was not gang rivalry but an argument in drunken state over the Jat reservation issue and caste system that led to two deaths.

Two ex-servicemen working as private security officers (PSOs) of property dealers and financiers associated with gangster-turned-politician Krishan Pehalwan were shot dead by another PSO and his aides at his farmhouse late Friday night.

The deceased were identified as Ashok Kumar, 40, and Fauzi, 42. The two, who retired from the Border Security Force (BSF), and the accused belonged to different castes, police said.

“We registered a case under sections of the IPC and Arms Act,” said RA Sanjeev, deputy commissioner of police (southwest). He ruled out gang war.

The prime attacker, identified as Joginder alias Pollard, 29, works with another local property dealer who is said to be Pehalwan’s sympathiser, police said. A native of Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, Joginder was arrested on Saturday afternoon.

The place where the incident happened was used by Pehalwan, elder brother of former Najafgarh MLA Bharat Singh who was killed in March 2015 by rivals, to station his bodyguards and guests and organise parties.

Pehalwan was being questioned to verify his role in the crime. Police sources said he was present when the firing took place. He may be arrested because the murder happened at his property but he did not inform the police. Attempts were allegedly made to destroy evidence in his presence, sources said.

A senior police officer said around 11.40 pm, the police control room received a call from Vikas Hospital about two men who were taken there with gunshot injuries. One was brought dead and the other died during treatment.

The hospital authorities told the police that those who brought the victims disappeared. “It took us more than two hours to work on the clues and reach the crime scene where we found Pehalwan,” said the officer.

The deceased worked for Manoj alias Mauja, a close confidant of Pehalwan. Manoj and his friends had dropped the two at the hospital.