M A I N   N E W S

DIG shot in Orissa
Naxal hand suspected

Rayagada (Orissa), October 23
In the first such killing of a senior official by suspected Naxalites, Deputy Inspector General Jaswinder Singh was today shot dead by unidentified persons at a village in Maoist-infested Rayagada district of south Orissa.

Jaswinder Singh, DIG (south western range), was on his way from Sunabeda to Padmapur in the district when the incident occurred at Guma village, official sources said.

He was stopped at two places on the way by groups of people, who asked for contribution for Kali puja festivities but he declined, following which he was shot twice from behind. The incident occurred around noon.

Seriously injured in the head, he was taken to the government hospital here where he was pronounced brought dead, the sources said.

It was not immediately known whether it was the handiwork of Naxalites but Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in Bhubaneswar that a high-level inquiry had been ordered into the incident.

“We will be in a position to say after the investigation report is received,” he said.

Director General of Police Amarananda Patnaik said the involvement of Naxalites in the killing could not be ruled out.

Home Secretary Tarunkanti Mishra had earlier said it was the first time that an IPS officer had been killed in the state.

Mishra told reporters at Bhubaneswar that the identity of the assailants was being verified.

Amidst conflicting reports that the PSO of the senior official had also been injured in the attack, Mishra said the driver and PSO had escaped unhurt.

A high alert had been sounded in south Orissa, while the neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh informed about the incident, he said.

Several senior police officers reached Rayagada following the incident.

A 1990-batch IPS officer, Jaswinder Singh was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, in October, 1962 and had taken up his present assignment at Sunabeda barely two months ago.

He had been Superintendent of Police of several districts, including Naxalite-affected Deogarh, Gajapati and Bargarh, and was also aide-de-camp to the Governor for some time.

He was DIG (modernisation) for some time before going out of the state on an assignment. He had been posted at Sunabeda on his return to the state.

The Chief Minister has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin while promising a job to a member of the family, the sources said. — PTI

Village mourns death of its son
Tribune News Service

Dasuya (Hoshiarpur), October 23
Bodal village today mourned the death of its IPS son, Jaswinder Singh. As the news of the death of Jaswinder Singh posted as DIG in Orissa, at the hands of Naxals spread in the area, people started gathering at his house in the village.

Ms Nasib Kaur, the mother of the deceased IPS officer, was inconsolable. His father, Mr Hazara Singh , an ex-serviceman put a brave face before people who came to share the grief of the family.

Jaswinder cleared the IAS in 1990 and was allotted the IPS cadre in Orissa. Since them he has been serving in Orissa.

The parents of Jaswinder Singh are staying alone in the village. Their other son is in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and two daughters are married at Jalandhar and Bathinda.

The wife of Jaswinder Singh, Ms Paramjeet Kaur, was staying with their children at Jalandhar.

The body of Jaswinder Singh is likely to be flown from Orissa to his native village, Bodal, tomorrow. The cremation will take place at the village.

The local SSP, Mr R.N. Dhoke, today visited the family.