Punjab The Latest as it comes

BSF men shoot villager and son
Bipin Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service

Thakarpura (Gurdaspur), May 19Four Border Security Force (BSF) jawans barged into a house and gunned down a man and his teenaged son in this sleepy village on the Indo-Pak border late last night. Four other members of the family, however, had a narrow escape as another jawan fired indiscriminately from his service rifle.
The incident occurred at about 9 last night when four jawans — Karan Chakarborty, head constable, Mohammad Latif, Shatrughan and Shivu Dey (constables) of 109 Bravo unit of the BSF reached the house of Shinghara Singh, located hardly 200 yards from their post in the village. The four, allegedly under the influence of liquor, entered into an argument with Shinghara Singh over a petty issue. After giving him a sound beating, they fired two shots leaving him dead on the spot.
They did not even spare his 15-year-old son Daljit Singh who came in defence of his father. The BSF men also fired three shots at him. Daljit, a student of Government Senior Secondary School, Gahlari, died on the spot. Shinghara Singh's wife, Balwinder Kaur, had a narrow escape as the bullets missed her legs.
Family members said Shinghara Singh had an altercation with Mohammad Latif when the latter made some obscene remarks against village women and allegedly consumed liquor with his colleague in the afternoon. Angered by the altercation, Mohammad Latif along with Karan Chakarborty, Shatrughan and Shivu Dey reached the house of Shinghara Singh and fired indiscriminately leaving two of the family members dead on the spot.
Hearing the gunshots and shrieks of the family, villagers informed the police. Deputy Commissioner Vivek Pratap Singh, SSP Lok Nath Angra, along with a police contingent reached the spot and the bodies were sent to Civil Hospital, Gurdaspur, for post-mortem.
Up in arms against the high-handedness of BSF jawans, residents of over three villages reached the city and blocked traffic at the post office chowk for over four hours. They had been demanding the arrest of the culprits. The villagers also alleged that the BSF jawans had been creating a nuisance in the village. They also cited instances when the BSF jawans had misbehaved with the women of the villages.
After lengthy discussions, BSF Commandant Ashok Kumar Jha handed over the four jawans to the Gurdaspur police.
Deputy superintendent of police, Gurdaspur, HS Brar, claimed that Karan Chakarborty, Mohammad Latif, Shatrughan and Shivu Dey of 109 Bravo unit of the BSF had been arrested. The police has also recovered the rifle and five shells of cartridges used in the crime.
A case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against them at Darangla police station on a complaint by Balwinder Kaur, wife of the deceased.
The villagers have demanded shifting of the BSF post from the present site as the jawans often roam around in the village and indulge in eve-teasing.