Land grabber Gola Shah booked under PSA
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 2: The family members of a 39-year-old man, who was killed in a land dispute in Greater Kailash locality on Tuesday evening, staged a demonstration at Gangyal area here today.
They sought stringent actions against the suspects, particularly notorious land grabber Ravinder Gupta, also known as Gola Shah. Gupta, who was detained a day after the incident, has now been charged under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).
However, the family contended that the use of the PSA-typically allowing detention without trial for up to three months-might enable Gupta to evade more serious legal repercussions.
They argued that this move may have been influenced by high-level bureaucratic manipulation, intending to let Gupta off lightly. They wished that Gupta be implicated along with other accused persons in the case under section 120-B.
During the demonstrations, the protesters called for the dismissal of the in-charge Police Post Greater Kailash and the SHO Gangyal, accusing them of negligence that facilitated the crime. Click here to watch video
In response to the mounting pressure, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Jammu-Samba-Kathua (JSK) Range, Dr Sunil Gupta, accompanied by SSP Jammu Dr Vinod Kumar, met with protesters and the Singh family.
He assured them that the investigation, led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), would be thorough and unaffected by the accused’s status.
“The SIT is reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence to piece together the sequence of events to ensure that the family of the victim get justice. Stature of the accused won’t make any difference to the inquiry,” he told the protestors.
Dr Gupta also announced a preventive measure against such disputes escalating in the future.
According to him, a new initiative will see the establishment of land dispute registers at each police station, aimed at early detection and resolution of potentially volatile disputes with the help of revenue officials.
Following these assurances, and a dialogue facilitated by senior police officials including SSP Jammu, Dr Vinod Kumar, the protesters agreed to clear the highway and suspend their demonstration.
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