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Ex-minister’s murder convict son killed
Congress
govt had pardoned Sandeep, even though he carried a long rap sheet
WSN Network
BATHINDA: An ex-Akali
minister Teja Singh Dhillon's son Sandeep Singh alias Bobby, who was
facing trial in a number of criminal cases and was convicted in a
case of murder, was shot dead here on Sunday morning. Sandeep was
pardoned after a recommendation of the previous Congress government
to the governor.
Sahara
volunteers found him lying slumped at the wheel of his SUV. He had
gone out with acquaintances, as per reports.
The case of
murder of a Shimla hotelier, in which the deceased's name appeared,
had made headlines. A case under Section 302/34 of IPC and various
sections of Arms Act has been registered at City Police Station and
investigations are on, police said.
According to
information, two youths visited Sandeep at his Civil Lines residence
at around 10 a.m. on Sunday, where they had a cup of tea and then
left for Sandeep's farmhouse near Sirhind canal bridge in his SUV.
Volunteers of Sahara Jan Sewa, a non-profit, later spotted his body
lying in his car, in a pool of blood.
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The
murder that Sandeep has committed, his own murder now, and the
ways and means that he used to stay out of jail and outside the
reach of law, all carry many lessons and food for thought |
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Preliminarily
investigations indicate that the assailants fired shots into his
back, which proved fatal for Sandeep. The killers reportedly claimed
to have come through a family friend of Sandeep's. Sandeep, it needs
mention, had a long rap sheet and had made enemies, as per reports.
The District and
Sessions court had awarded him life term in prison, along with aides
Gurinder alias Monty and Jagga Singh, for the murder of Harpal
Singh, son of Baba Roop Singh, and his servant Rasal Singh on July
14, 2004 over a land dispute.
The groups were
involved in a row over a farm.
The Governor had
granted Sandeep pardon in 2006, on the recommendation of the
previous Congress government. Such pardons are often a political
tool and have come under a scanner time and again.
The Punjab and
Haryana High Court Division Bench headed by Justices Uma Nath Singh
and A.N. Jindal rejected the appeal by Sandeep and his aides and
justified the sentence awarded by the Sessions Court on May 20,
2008.
On a petition
filed by Harpal's elder brother Jagtar Singh Baba, Justice Surya
Kant of Punjab and Haryana High Court reserved the verdict after the
completion of arguments.
Sandeep, who
went into hiding after Harpal's murder, was arrested by the Haryana
police in connection with another attempt to murder case. A revolved
used for killing Shimla hotelier Baljee for ransom was seized from
him. The CBI arrested Sandeep for the hotelier's murder and filed
chargesheet in a Shimla court.
Harsh Baljee was
murdered under mystery circumstances near the Army Training Command
at Shimla a few years back.
As police failed
to solve the murder, the deceased's wife approached Shimla High
Court and the court on December 14, 1999, askde the CBI to take over
probe.
The drawn out
CBI investigations concluded that a .38 bore revolver was used in
the murder and the murderers were involved in attack on a Hisar
police team in Haryana.
Sandeep, from
whom the revolver was recovered, and Sahjvinder Singh were tracked
down, and arrested. The CBI investigation also uncovered Sandeep's
various criminal links.
Sandeep's father
Teja Singh Dhillon had served as health minister in the first Badal
government in the late '70s.
5
August 2009
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