Rohtak, June 15 -- Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana police on Sunday shot dead a close associate of Sanjay Birdhana, one of the key accused in the Vijay Saini murder case, during an encounter in Dujana village of Jhajjar district, police said. The deceased has been identified as Inderpal Singh, 32, a resident of Kisrenti village of Rohtak. Jhajjar commissioner of police (CP) Rajshree Singh said that the deceased was associated with the main accused in Vijay Saini murder case and he was killed in police encounter. According to police, the encounter occurred when an STF team from Bahadurgarh intercepted Inderpal, leading to an exchange of fire. Inderpal sustained bullet injuries and died on the spot, police said. Police said Inderpal had been under the STF's radar due to his alleged involvement in criminal activities and his close links with Sanjay Birdhana, adding that the deceased's criminal records were being examined. CP Singh said that during the exchange of fire, STF Bahadurgarh unit in-charge inspector Rakesh Kumar also sustained bullet injury on his hand and was shifted for medical treatment and his condition was stated to be stable. Senior police officials reached the spot, and further investigations are underway. The encounter is being seen as a significant development in the ongoing crackdown on criminals linked to the Vijay Saini murder case and associated gang networks operating in the region. On May 31, Vijay Saini, 65,retired electricity department employee was shot dead in Dujana village in Jhajjar district. According to the police, the murder was linked to an old enmity over a land dispute with Sanjay Kumar of Birdhana village. The victim's family told the police that Vijay along with his son Sunil had gone to the fields, when four unidentified assailants arrived on two motorcycles and opened fire. They fired multiple rounds and Vijay sustained a bullet injury on the chest. He was rushed to PGIMS Rohtak and where doctors declared him brought dead. In the police complaint the family members had accused Sanjay, was also accused in the murder of the victim's son,Anil Saini, a government teacher. Anil was killed in March, 2021, following an altercation with Sanjay over a path to thefields. According to the police, Sanjay had allegedly killed his wife following a domestic dispute in March this year, shortly after he was released from jail on bail....