Ludhiana, August 23
A self-styled vigilante group of well-educated youths, led by son of a former Commandant of Home Guards and sons of big industrialists, allegedly took their ‘morality vigil’ too far when ‘interrogation’ of a couple led to the tragic death of a youth of Dugri, here last night.
The Model Town police claimed today that a group of youths, acting as cops, had set up a sort of nakka at a road in Dugri on August 20, where they allegedly stopped a youth Gajjan Sahni , a meat seller, and his friend Roopa (name changed). Both riding a two-wheeler and
unnecessarily started questioning them about their relationship and antecedents.
When the couple resisted, the group separated them , beat up the boy black and blue and threw him near Sidhwan canal, Dugri. They allegedly took the girl to her house and boasted in front of her parents that their family honour had been saved.
Gajjan, whose parents had migrated several years ago to Punjab from Bihar, used to sell meat along with his five brothers in Dugri. He was taken to a hospital by some passers by. He succumbed to injuries today.
The DSP, Mr R.K. Bakshi and the SI Mr Rajesh Kumar, told The Tribune that the police had arrested three accused for the gruesome murder of Gajjan Sahni. They had been identified as Agya Pal Singh, alais Ruppal, who holds a Master’s Degree in English and is son of a retired Home Guard Commandant; Tanveer, alias Munish, who belongs to a big hosiery industrialists family; Mandeep Singh, whose father runs a huge scrap dealing business.
The police has identified the fourth accused as Vicky, son of a retired Railway official. Other accused were yet to be identified. The arrests were made after the girl identified the culprits.
The case remained unreported as the police and parties hoped that the youth would recover and some kind of compromise could be reached. But with the death of Gajjan Sahni and the
necessity to register a case of murder has turned the tables against the well-connected youths.
