Chamba murder: Protestors stopped from entering Salooni sub-division which houses victim’s village

The protest was supported by the local shopkeepers who shut their shops for around four hours and took part in the stir.

Lal’s mutilated body in eight parts stuffed in jute bags was found on June 9. The incident triggered communal tension in the area. On June 15, an agitated mob had set ablaze two houses — one at Bhandal village and the other atop a hill — of the main accused Musaffir Hussain.

The killing also triggered a war of words between former Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Singh Thakur and incumbent Chief Minister M Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who said his government is ready to hand over the probe to any central agency.

A senior Chamba police officer said, “The call of the protest rally was given well in advance. We have already made adequate security arrangements. Protesters came from throughout Chamba district. They marched from the old bus stand to the office of the Deputy Commissioner and tried to enter Salooni sub-division.”