Panchgawan villagers want separate inquiry

GURGAON, May 19: Residents of Pachgawan, a conglomeration of five villages, where an angry village mob had thrashed two persons to death in the mistaken belief that they were involved in the attacks on farmhouses, are now demanding a parallel inquiry into the incident.

A meeting of about 40 villagers today called for an investigation of the vehicle left behind by the victims. “Hockey stick and rods found in the car led to suspicions about their activities,” said Om Prakash, ex-Chairman of the Block Samiti, Gurgaon. Villagers here are convinced that the persons beaten by them were involved in attacks on various farmhouses in the area.

“The Government should find out whose vehicle was it? Why were rods kept in the car? Why did the police not seize the car despite knowing that these implements were lying in it?,” said Capt Singh. The district police, in a related development, has arrested at least nine villagers in this connection. The villagers say that the incident could have been averted had the police not underestimated the gravity of the situation.