Three get life term for murder during Jat stir

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, January 30

The Additional District and Sessions court today awarded life imprisonment to three persons for the murder of a youth of Lalpura village near Hansi during the Jat agitation on February 23, 2016.

Additional District Judge DR Chalia sentenced three persons, identified as Daljeet of Sisay village in Hisar district, Pawan of Sonepat district and Surender Jhinda of Charkhi Dadri district, in the murder case and imposed a fine of Rs17,500 on each convict.

The Hansi police had registered a case of assault and arson during the agitation on February 22. Arsonists had set several houses on fire at Dhani Pal village near Hansi in Hisar district The next day, the body of a resident of Lalpura, Mintu, was recovered from the fields of Dhani Pal, making the police add Section 302 (murder) to the FIR.

According to the police complaint, Mintu along with another youth Krishan had visited Dhani Pal to inquire about the well-being of a woman on February 22. A group of Jat agitators attacked the village in the afternoon and several rounds were fired during the attack. Mintu and Krishan fled towards the fields to escape the attack. Later, Krishan, who suffered bullet injuries, was taken to hospital by residents of Lalpura while Mintu was untraceable. His bullet-riddled body was recovered from the fields the next day.

The stretch between Hansi town and Sisay village was affected by violence on February 21 and 22 during the agitation by Jats, who were demanding reservation under the Other Backward Classes category. Later, the Army had to take charge of the region to restore peace.

Earlier convictions

In the past, local courts have awarded punishment in two other cases of violence during the Jat agitation. A local court awarded 10 years of imprisonment to an accused, Satinder, in August 2017 for the murderous attack on Ramniwas, brother of former Haryana minister Atar Singh Saini. In another case of arson, four persons were sentenced to five years in jail on December 28, 2018.