Man shot dead: Traffic hit, commuter stranded as protesters block Sohna Road

Protesters claimed that the police had failed to ensure protection for the 41-year-old despite being informed of a threat to his life

Claiming that 41-year-old Anand Vashist had approached the police saying that he was facing a threat to his life and accusing the latter of inaction, hundreds of villagers blocked the Vatika chowk on Sohna road on Tuesday morning, throwing traffic in the entire area out of gear for almost four hours. Vashisht was shot dead by masked attackers on Tuesday morning.

41-year-old Anand Vashisht, who was shot dead by masked assailants on Tuesday morning. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The villagers demanded that the accused be arrested and action taken against police officers who failed to provide security to Vashisht despite being informed of the threat to his life. It was only after senior police officers and those from the district administration rushed to the spot and assured action that the locals were pacified and the blockade was removed.

Residents claimed that one of the assailants is a local identified as Narender alias Tillu.

“Anand was getting threats and had approached the investigating officer seeking protection. He had also told him that he would send a complaint to the CM’s window if the accused in the February 11 shooting incident was not arrested,” Pravin Tyagi, Vashisht’s relative said, adding that if action had been taken earlier, Vashisht would still be alive today.

Angry over the alleged inaction by the police, the villagers blocked the road for a long time, throwing the traffic out of gear. Long jams were reported on Sohna Road and they extended a further 2-3 kilometres towards Rajiv Chowk and Sohna town. Heavy snarls were reported on the Golf Course Extension Road and the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR). Many office goers and school buses were caught in the jam.

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Many schools sent messages to parents regarding delay in dropping off the students in their respective localities. Many parents made alternative arrangements to get their wards home.

Many took to Twitter to criticise the police for failing to prevent the traffic jams, as they reported late for work and several others were stuck and stranded on Sohna Road. Many kept sending out tweets advising their friends and followers to avoid Sohna Road.

In the morning, Gurgaon police also advised people to take other roads and avoid the Sohna Road due to the blockade. “Traffic was diverted at some places to ensure that people are not caught in the jam. The blockade was removed after the protesters were assured that immediate action will be taken against the accused,” Ravinder Kumar, public relations officer, Gurgaon police, said.

Traders in Badshahpur also downed shutters and joined the protesters. They alleged that violent crimes had become the norm in the village and police had not been able to contain anti-social elements.