Two days after an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for zila parishad and panchayat samiti polls Harwinder Singh alias Hinda, 42, was found murdered at his house in Jethuke village, around 40km from the Bathinda, on Monday morning, police arrested his wife Kiranpal Kaur and three others, on Thursday.
“Kiranpal, along with her paramour Sandeep Kumar of a Mansa village were the main conspirators in the murder of Harwinder Singh,” Bathinda zone inspector general of police (IG) MF Farooqi told a press conference on Wednesday. The other three accomplices, who have been arrested are Makhan Ram and Chamkaur Singh of Maari village and Jehmal Singh of Bhaini village. Both the villages are in Bathinda. Kumar is absconding.
The murder had raised political temperature in the state with AAP MLA and leader of opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema calling it a ‘political’ murder at a press conference. The local unit of the party had also protested, alleging that the police were soft-pedalling and not carrying out proper investigation.
Cheema had even called for the cancellation of the polls, citing the deteriorating ‘law and order’ situation. He had also led a delegation to meet the state election commissioner, Jagpal Singh Sandhu, claiming that party volunteers, candidates and office-bearers were being harassed, intimidated and threatened across the state.
{{/usCountry}}Cheema had even called for the cancellation of the polls, citing the deteriorating ‘law and order’ situation. He had also led a delegation to meet the state election commissioner, Jagpal Singh Sandhu, claiming that party volunteers, candidates and office-bearers were being harassed, intimidated and threatened across the state.
{{/usCountry}}Cell phone helped crack case
The police cracked the case after it scanned the phone of Kiranpal, who had lodged the complaint. Officials got suspicious after villagers contradicted her statement that three men had come to meet her husband on the night of the murder (Sunday). The police also found that Kiranpal and Sandeep had given ₹1 lakh to contract killers around six months ago. However, the killers developed cold feet and the money was returned.
Police have registered a case under section 302 (murder) of the IPC against the four accused at the Rampura Phul Sadar police station.