PANCHKULA: Illegal mining and extortion were the reasons behind the killing of a 25-year-old youth at Paploha Majra village in Kalka, with the victim’s family claiming the accused had threatened to eliminate Vikram by June
28. Family members and villagers alleged Bhupinder, alias Babbu, the main accused, had been demanding money from Vikram for selling mud excavated from nearby rivulets illegally.
Kalavati, the mother of the victim, along with around 200 villagers staged dharna outside the mortuary of civil hospital in Kalka, saying they would not cremate the body till police arrest the accused. “Vikram was younger of my two sons. He was earning his livelihood by buying mud and selling it further. Babbu used to demand money to allow him to work. When Vikram refused to pay, they killed him,” she said.
Around 100 cops and a riot control team were stationed at the hospital.
In the afternoon, family members blocked the road near the hospital and forced the closure of shops near Gandhi Chowk to protest the alleged police inaction. They lifted the blockade after two hours.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Adarshdeep Singh said, “We have not yet handed over the body to the family. The cremation would take place in the presence of police. We do not want any law and order problem.”
On the police probe, he said, “We have detained six suspects. They are being questioned. As many as 16 accused have been named in the FIR.” The 16 have been booked under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 427 (damage to property), 149 (unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 120 B (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 25 of the Arms Act at the Kalka police station.
Vikram was celebrating his birthday with three of his friends Daleep, Mahinder, Lakhwinder and Harwinder, all residents of Majra Mehtab village in Kalka, near a rivulet in Paploha village on Thursday, when around 15 men came in four cars and two motorcycles and opened fire on them. Vikram was killed on the spot, while the four others are battling for their lives at PGI, Chandigarh.
Vikram suffered multiple bullet injuries according to his autopsy conducted by a panel of four doctors at Kalka civil hospital. Doctors said four bullets were extracted from the body, which had multiple bullet injuries of .12 bore rifle pellets. Doctors said that it was not possible to count the number of pellet injury marks as they were very closely hit in abdomen, stomach, chest, face and legs. They said the bullets had ruptured vital organs of the victim.
