Govt official shot dead while checking land grabbing in Manesar

A 52-year-old government revenue official (patwari), who had gone to check alleged land grabbing in Manesar, was shot dead on Tuesday afternoon on the disputed plot.

A government driver was also shot at and is recovering at a city hospital, the police said.

Ishwar Singh, 52, a Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) employee, who was from Hisar, died after being shot in the head and left shoulder around 1.15pm, by a man on a motorcycle, said deputy commissioner of police (Manesar) Rajesh Kumar.

Kumar said that prima facie, it seems the plot is part of the 687 acres included in an alleged scam, in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the chargesheet. “Villagers have told us it is a part of the same land and it looks so. We have asked for documents to verify it,” the DCP said.

In March, the Supreme Court had restored 687 acres to HSIIDC on the grounds that the Haryana government released the land unlawfully to developers.

On Tuesday, the police filed an FIR under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC based on the statement given by the driver, who has also named five people in his complaint. None of the five could be traced and they are on the run, the police said.

An autopsy of Singh’s body will be done on Wednesday, the police said.

Kumar said that around 11am on Tuesday, Singh and other officials reached the disputed land near Sector 1 in Manesar village.

“HSIIDC officials said they had information that some villagers were growing crops on the plot that belonged to the department. On Tuesday, the ‘patwari’ and others had gone there with machines to remove the crops,” Kumar said.

The DCP said that a few villagers gathered at the land after the HSIIDC officers reached.

“Later, the accused came on a motorcycle along with others and asked who had authorised the officers to come to the site. He shot the patwari and also the driver,” Kumar said.

After the shots were fired, everyone, including the accused, fled the spot. The injured were taken to Rockland Hospital in Manesar by the police.

Singh was declared brought-dead and the driver, who suffered a bullet injury to his right shoulder, is recuperating, the police said. “We are yet to verify whether the HSIIDC officials destroyed the crops on the land,” the DCP said.

He said all the five people named in the FIR are from Manesar village.

The investigating officer in the case, sub-inspector Surender Sodhi said that the police have recovered empty bullet shells from the spot and there was no CCTV footage of the incident. “We are raiding all parts of the village and about four police teams are on the case,” Sodhi said.

On May 1, in a similar incident, a 51-year-old woman assistant town planner was shot dead by a hotelier in Kasauli of Himachal Pradesh, when her team reached the premises of the accused to demolish illegal constructions as per a Supreme Court order.

First Published: Aug 15, 2018 06:40 IST