22-year-old youth shot dead in Tarn Taran; nine booked

TARNTAR: A 22-year-old youth was shot dead over a land dispute in Maluwal village, 15 km from the district headquarter, on Sunday night.

The deceased has been identified as Harkirat Singh of the same village. Police have booked nine persons, including six by name — Karaj Singh, his wife Ranjit Kaur, Harjit Kaur, Ranjit Kaur (namesake of Karaj’s wife) of Maluwal village, and Rashpal Singh of Bhuchar village, and a migrant labourer Raju. Police, however, are yet to make an arrest.

The case was registered on the complaint of the deceased’s father Navjot Singh (45). He said, “We had a written agreement with Karaj Singh to sell our 6.5 acres of agriculture land in the village in 2016. Karaj had been increasing the date of registration of the land and due to this, we had given our land to Karaj on contract-basis. However, neither Karaj had been getting the land’s registration done nor he had been giving us the land’s rent. Karaj had sown wheat on the land and we had been resisting its harvesting. Karaj, however, harvested the crop on Saturday.”

He said, “On Sunday, my brother Upkar Singh, my elder son Harkirat Singh and my wife Manjit Kaur had gone to see our fields. In the meantime, the accused also reached the spot in a

Mahindra Bolero SUV. Karaj had a .12 bore riffle while Rashpal had a pistol. Karaj opened fire from his riffle. One of the shots hit my son and he succumbed to the injuries.”

Chabhal station house officer (SHO) Harwinder Singh said they have registered a case under sections 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian penal code (IPC) and section 25-27 of the Arms Act against the accused.