Men charged for killing cricketer acquitted

Gagandeep’s father Surender Singh said: “It is disappointing that the accused have been acquitted. It seems the witnesses were under pressure.”

The judge,S V V S Rathore,acquitted the duo after five of the nine witnesses turned hostile. One among them was Gagandeep’s friend,who according to his father,was present at the scene of the crime. Prosecution counsel K P Pahel said the four other eyewitnesses — two policemen and two doctors — and the man who lodged the FIR refused to identify the accused. There were two more accused in the case — Ankit Chauhan and Mukrit Balyan — Though they were never arrested,police record says that they had died in 2010. “As per police record,Mukrit Balyan was killed by one Ajay Raj and Ankit Chauhan over a dispute in February,2010. The police later gunned down Ankit Chauhan in Bulandshahar in May,2010,” said Amit Dixit,the counsel of the accused.

The prosecution counsel,however,is not convinced that Balyan has actually died.

According to the chargesheet filed by the police,the accused had killed shopowner Shahnawaz over some petty dispute. They shot Gagandeep when he tried to catch one of the accused. A tea vendor also suffered a bullet injury.

On a complaint filed by Shahnawaz’s relative Akbar Ali,an FIR was lodged against Rahul Sirohi and three others whom the police identified as Ankit Chauhan,Mukrit Balyan and Ajay Raj. Rahul Sirohi and Ajay Raj were arrested by the police,while Ankit and Mukrit remained absconding.

The family of Gangandeep is planning to appeal against the acquittal in the high court and will seek CBI probe.