M A I N   N E W S

RSS leader Vijender Jain shot
Commercial establishments closed in protest
R.D. Sapra

Sonepat, February 21
Dr Vijender Jain, a veteran leader of the RSS, was reportedly shot dead by three persons in the Model Town area here today.

According to preliminary reports, Dr Jain attended the RSS ‘shakha’ in the Model Town park as usual and left for home after concluding the programme. On his way, three persons intercepted him and one of them fired two shots at him resulting in his death. The alleged assailants however, managed to escape immediately after the incident. Further details of the incident are still awaited. The cause of the murder is being ascertained.

According to another report, Mr Yudhishter Lal Maggu, general secretary of the Haryana Beopar Mandal, yesterday received a murder threat on telephone warning him to stop his activities against the state government.

Mr Maggu, who had been mobilising shopkeepers, traders and residents against the new policy for assessment of house tax, professional tax and increase in power tariff convened an emergency meeting of traders, shopkeepers and prominent citizens here yesterday and announced that he did not deter such threats and would go ahead with his activities. The district and police authorities were urged to take immediate steps for the security of Mr Maggu.

Meanwhile, all shops and commercial establishments in the city remained closed today in protest against the shooting down of Dr Jain.

The BJP and RSS leaders as well as the general secretary of the Haryana Vikas Party, Mr Rajiv Jain, went round the city and appealed to shopkeepers to keep their shutters down to register their protest against lawlessness prevailing in the city and elsewhere in the district.

The BJP leaders also appealed to the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to direct the police to curb criminals with a strong hand and instill confidence of people in the government.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Sudhir Rajpal and the Superintendent of Police, Mr Paramjit Singh Ahlawat, also reached the hospital and assured irate residents of the city that the culprits would be brought to book.

Meanwhile, the police has launched a massive hunt to apprehend the culprits involved in this murder. The culprits had fired as many as five shots at Dr Jain before they fled. The victim was a Deputy Registrar in IP College at Delhi and he would be cremated tomorrow after the arrival of his son from South Africa.