SIT to look into Sirsa dera followers’ murder
Around 4,000 dera followers block road, heavy police force deployed in area
JAGERA (LUDHIANA): The police on Tuesday formed an eight-member special investigation team (SIT) to look into the February 25 killing of two Sirsa dera followers here.
The impasse over the cremation of the bodies of Satpal Kumar, 65, and his son Ramesh Kumar, 35, continued as meeting between Dera Sacha Sauda followers and police yielded no result.
Protesters, who have pitched a tent in the middle of the road, are steadfast that they will not cremate the bodies until the arrest of the killers, two bikeborne men who had shot the father-son duo at a congregation centre of the sect.
On the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road that passes through the village, around 4,000 dera followers from various places continued with the blockade. Tension prevails in the area and heavy police force has been deployed.
JAGERA (LUDHIANA): Even as meetings between Dera Sacha Sauda followers and police officials yielded no result to the deadlock over cremating the bodies of murder victims Satpal Kumar, 65, and his son Ramesh Kumar, 35, the police formed an eightmember special investigation team (SIT) in the case on Tuesday. Protesters, who have pitched a tent in the middle of the road, are steadfast that they will not cremate the bodies until the arrest of the killers, two bikeborne men who had shot the father-son duo at the local congregation centre of the sect on Saturday night.
The SIT is led by deputy inspector general (DIG), Ludhiana range, SK Kalia. Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh, SP (detective) Satnam Singh, Shahkot (Jalandhar rural) DSP Gurpreet Singh, Banga (SBS Nagar) DSP Harvinder Singh Dalli, and inspectors Rajan Parminder Singh (Ludhiana rural), Baljinder Singh (SBS Nagar) and Sanvir Singh (Jalandhar rural) are members.
On the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road that passes through the village, around 4,000 dera followers from various places continued with the blockade. Tension prevails in the area and heavy police force has been deployed.
Dera followers planned a road march from Jagera to Ahmedgarh in the afternoon, but cancelled the plan so that students returning from schools did not face inconvenience.
‘NO ONE WEEK’
Mohinderpal Bittu, a member of political committee of the dera, said the police sought a week to arrest the killers. “They (police) did the same when a dera follower was killed in Faridkot in 2016. They made us cremate the body. Till date, police are clueless in that case,” said Bittu.
“How can we believe that the police will solve the case in one week? However, the rest depends on the high command of the dera. We will follow their decision,” he added.