Chief Parliamentary Secretary MS Brar’s nephew among accused
FARIDKOT- Former Akali sarpanch Sukhmander Singh was shot dead in Aulakh village this morning. He was reportedly close to a former Akali minister. Among those named in the murder case is the nephew of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Mantar Singh Brar, Akali legislator from Kotkapura.
While one group of Akalis demanded the arrest of the accused, the other group allegedly mounted pressure on the police to go soft on the issue. Succumbing to mounting public pressure, the police registered a murder case against three persons, including Brar’s kin. But the deceased’s family members and supporters refused to cremate the body till the accused were arrested.
Sukhmander Singh was shot in the neck near his house. He reportedly had strained ties with Brar’s nephew who had allegedly made a murderous attack on his relative. In the case, the police registered a case on May 26, 2012, but did not arrest anybody.
“Under Mantar Brar’s pressure, instead of arresting the accused, the police was pressing us to reach a compromise and withdraw the complaint,” said Gurditta Singh, the deceased’s brother. He said the police had failed to act despite several complaints on receiving threats from Brar’s nephew.
