No arrest in murder case, Akali workers lay siege to police station

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Sri Hargobindpur (Gurdaspur), January 21

Nearly 250 Akali workers laid siege to the Sri Hargobindpur police station throughout the night after the police failed to arrest the two accused involved in the murder of 18-year-old Gurpinder Singh, whose family owes allegiance to the SAD.

Senior SAD leader Mangal Singh, who led the protest, alleged that the cops were not arresting Gursaab Singh and Gurjant Singh, who had allegedly stoned to death Gurpinder Singh following an altercation, as sitting Congress MLA Balwinder Laddi had instructed the police to not arrest them.

Laddi, however, denied the allegations saying he did not even know the accused. “I neither have any knowledge of the incident nor do I know the accused. In any case, whenever something goes wrong, SAD workers start blaming me,” said the legislator.

SSP Opinderjit Singh Ghuman said he had formed four police parties and both Gurjant and Gursaab would be arrested soon.

On January 13, Gurpinder of Mathola village was called by the accused to their village, Cheema Khuddi. Once he reached there an argument ensued over some trivial matter following which he was hit by stones. Villagers took him to the Batala civil hospital, from where he was referred to Guru Ram Dass Hospital, Amritsar. Gurpinder died today morning.

The protesters placed his body outside the police station. Mangal Singh said the family was not ready to cremate the body till the accused were arrested.

The police, after the incident, had registered a case under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 343 (wrongful confinement for three or more days) and 506 of the IPC (criminal intimidation) at the Sri Hargobindpur police station.

“We want the police to add Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC in the FIR. The officers handling the case are not listening to us. We have been made to understand that the cops are going slow because the accused have links with the Congress MLA. They should have been arrested by now,” said Mangal Singh.

The SSP said he was away to Delhi for a meeting and had instructed the SHO to add Section 302 of the IPC.

“I am not under any political pressure and law will take its own course,” he said.

Mangal Singh, however, said the siege would not be lifted till the arrests were made and the murder charge added to the FIR.