Jind: Two years after a newly-wed youth was
lynched by villagers in the presence of police escort for
marrying against social norms, a local court here has
convicted 12 persons in the honour killing case while
acquitting a chief of `jat` community organisation.
The district and sessions court found guilty 12 of the 14
people facing trail including Dhanraj and Dhanpati, in-laws of
the slain youth Vedapal, and Dharampal a former Panchayat
Samiti member.
While Pawanjit Bhanwala, President of All India Adrash
Jat Maha Sabha, was acquitted by the court due to lack
of evidenace, one of the accused is absconding.
The Judge is likely to pronounce the quantum of sentence
on September 29.
Vedpal, 21, a resident of neighbouring village Mator, had
married Sonia of Singhwal village against the wishes of
villagers as they belonged to related gotras (sub-caste).
On July 22, 2009, when vedpal along with a police team
came to Singhwal village to get custody of his wife Sonia, he
was lynched.
The family of Vedpal had blamed "police inaction" for his
death and said the youth had taken a court order for the
custody of his wife of four months.
They had said he was accompanied by a Warrant Officer of
the Punjab and Haryana High Court and 15 Haryana policemen
when he was attacked by residents of Singhwal village, about
165 kms from Chandigarh.
Denying allegations that Vedpal was left to the mercy of
the mob, police had said that a crowd of nearly 400 people
attacked the police party and Warrant Officer Suraj Bhan who
were in different vehicles.
The crowd dragged Bhan out of the vehicle even as Pal
panicked and tried to escape under the cover of darkness, but
was surrounded and lynched by the villagers who were against
his marriage, the officer had said.
The judgement was pronounced yesterday.
PTI
