Pradhan’s brothers,son ‘admit’ beating DSP

All three,along with the pradhan’s third brother Phoolchand,are undergoing intensive questioning at the Kunda camp office of the CBI.

Sources said that Pawan and Sudhir admitted their involvement in the attack on the DSP when they were confronted with the statements of their brother Phoolchand and two locals,named Nanhey and Chhotey Pal,who first told the CBI about this.

Nanhey and Chhotey told the CBI that they had seen pradhan’s brothers Suresh,who also died that night,along with Pawan,Sudhir and his son beating up the DSP. However,they denied having seen anyone firing at the DSP.

Phoolchand reportedly told the CBI that his brothers and nephew were angry over the pradhan’s death and he had seen them running after the DSP as he tried to get away from the mob that had gathered in the village,sources said.

The sources said,initially,Pawan and Sudhir denied their presence at the spot,but changed their statement when confronted with the statements of their brother Phoolchand and the two witnesses.

Pawan and Sudhir reportedly told the CBI that they,along with Suresh,were present outside their house where the pradhan’s body was kept. The DSP arrived there,accompanied by some policemen,around 8.45 pm. The cops wanted to take the body in custody,but they resisted it.

A minor scuffle took place between the policemen and the people,which soon turned into an attack on the police team. Outnumbered,the policemen tried to run away. Pawan,Sudhir,Suresh and the pradhan’s son chased the DSP. However,he slipped and fell after some distance. Suresh started beating up the DSP and they too joined him,Pawan and Sudhir have told the CBI.

The pradhan’s son also reportedly gave the same sequence of events. However,he said that he was not present at home when his father was shot dead. When he arrived,he saw his uncle Suresh engaged in a heated exchange with the policemen. Later,the cops were attacked and he accompanied Suresh in chasing and beating the DSP.

About Suresh’s murder,Pawan,Sudhir and the Pradhan’s son told the agency that they did not see how and by whom he was shot. He was last seen beating the DSP when they heard a gunshot and found Suresh had been hit by a bullet in his stomach. Before they could arrange a vehicle to take him to the hospital,police reinforcements arrived and they escaped from the place.

The sources also said that the pradhan’s brothers and his son have so far denied having any information about firing at the DSP and his missing service pistol.

However,pradhan’s son and his brother Pawan have named some persons who could have taken away the DSP’s pistol. The CBI is searching for the weapon on the basis of these clues.