A large number of villagers and family members of those killed in firing yesterday over a land dispute, today held a protest outside a hospital here against the police for their alleged failure in taking action against accused.
Raising slogans against SHO, Ranger Nangal police station, Paramjeet Singh, the protesters refused to take bodies of deceased from the civil hospital and demanded immediate release of five persons, belonging to their group, who were arrested by police.
The protesters alleged that police did not take any action against the accused Gurmukh Singh and his family members, who allegedly shot dead Balwinder Singh and Major Singh on Friday night, but picked up five complainants and put them behind bars.
Two persons identified as Balwinder Singh, residents of Kaler village, and Major Singh of Muradpur village, were killed and four others seriously injured when two groups engaged in a firefight over a land dispute in the Batala area yesterday.
The groups were led by Gurmukh Singh and Balwinder Singh.
Balwinder's wife, Kirandeep Kaur today said her husband, a former sarpanch of Ghas Kaler village, had taken five acres of agriculture land on lease from an NRI. But Gurmukh Singh, who was earlier ploughing the fields, was reluctant to give up possession of the land.
She alleged that Gurmukh Singh had allegedly threatened her husband and his partners many times of dire consequences if they tried to cultivate the land.
On Friday evening, when her husband Balwinder Singh along with his partners, Major Singh and Mukhwinder Singh went to fields for watering, they were allegedly attacked by Gurmukh Singh and others.
She alleged that police was not taking action against Gurmukh Singh for allegedly killing her husband, instead, picked up her five family members - Sukhdev Singh (Kirandeep's father), Balwinder Singh, Kamaljeet, Jagrup (brothers) and Harjinder Singh (uncle) who had gone to register a complaint.
Facing massive protest, SP(D) Vipin Chowdhary ordered the release of all the five persons, who were taken into custody by the police.
Chowdhary said a case has been lodged under various sections including 302 of IPC and Arms Act against nine accused identified as Joginder Singh, Harpal Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Puran Singh, Major Singh, Lakha Singh, Mandeep Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Sahib Singh.
