SHO suspended for negligence, accused chemist's wife arrested
Bathinda, Oct. 16 -- Giving in to demands from protesters seeking justice for slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, the Mansa district administration on Thursday suspended City-2 station house officer (SHO) inspector Beant Kaur.
Mansa senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vaibhav Chaudhary said Beant Kaur was suspended on administrative grounds following allegations of police negligence.
Chaudhary said the investigation into the shooting confirmed that the pharmacy where Jhota was killed held a licence registered under Neelam Rani, the wife of accused Ashwani Kumar.
"Neelam and two others, Laadi and Vipin Kumar Garg, have been arrested for their roles in the crime," the SSP said.
Kumar, who fled Mansa after Tuesday's shooting, was arrested the next morning in Salasar, Rajasthan.
Laadi and Vipin are accused of helping Kumar flee Mansa, while Neelam is facing charges of criminal conspiracy.
Bathinda range deputy inspector general (DIG) Harjeet Singh said the licence for the weapon used to kill Jhota and injure four others was issued in the name of Ashwani.
"The weapon has been recovered and we are investigating to confirm if the licence was issued as per rules. Due legal action will be initiated against officials concerned if any violation is detected," said the DIG.
A case was registered at the City-2 police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103 (1) (murder), 109 (attempt to murder), 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy), and 3 (5) (common intention), along with Arms Act provisions, following a complaint filed by the victim's father, Bhim Singh.
Escalating their agitation on Thursday, Jhota's family demanded the resignation of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav for failing to curb the state's drug trade.
Bhim Singh demanded the dismissal and booking of the Mansa SSP, DSP, district drug inspector and the SHO, while insisting that his son's post-mortem examination be conducted by a medical board at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. The aggrieved family, which is demanding an independent probe by the CBI, has refused to cremate the body, which is kept in the Mansa civil hospital's mortuary....
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