22-year-old shot dead in police raid; kin allege murder

Jalandhar: A youngster was killed by police bullets during a raid to arrest him in a Jalandhar village on Friday evening. His family alleges he was shot without reason but police say they fired in self-defence when the suspect's family members – including his mother and sister -- attacked them.Villagers and some farm groups staged a protest outside Mehatpur police station on Saturday, demanding action against the cops responsible for the death of Lovepreet Singh alias Labha. The 22-year-old was a suspect in an attempted-murder case and was on the run, say police.Lovepreet's uncle Jaswant Singh alleged that when police arrived, the youngster was in a bathroom. "They took him out and started thrashing him with lathis. We intervened and told police that they could take him away, but not beat him so much as to break his legs. However, they did not stop thrashing him. When Lovepreet freed himself, they fired at him and then did not allow us to take him to hospital. He died," he said.The police version is different. When a team led by Mehatpur SHO Aman Saini went to Lovepreet's house in Bangiwal village (45km south of Jalandhar) around 7.30pm to arrest him, he was in the courtyard of his house, Jalandhar-rural SSP Harvinder Singh Virk said."He tried to flee on seeing the police party. When senior constable Sukhwinder Singh and constable Inderjit Singh tried to apprehend him, he got into a scuffle with them," the SSP said."Upon hearing the commotion, Lovepreet's mother, Kuldeep Kaur, his sister, Gagandeep Kaur alias Gagan, and several other individuals, gathered and attacked the police party with sticks and sharp-edged weapons. The crowd obstructed the police operation, and some unidentified persons assaulted ASI Sukhwant Singh and tore his uniform," Virk said."During the scuffle, an unidentified person in the crowd allegedly fired a gunshot. In order to safeguard his life and secure the govt-issued weapon, Sukhwinder initially fired one round in the air. However, the attackers did not retreat and Lovepreet tried to snatch the police weapon. Considering the grave situation and acting in self-defence as well as for the protection of fellow police personnel, two rounds were fired in response. The shots struck Lovepreet in the thigh," the SSP said.Virk claimed that when police tried to take Lovepreet to hospital, his family members and other individuals obstructed them. "With the assistance of village elders, the injured accused and police personnel were taken to hospital. During treatment, Lovepreet died of his injuries," he said, adding that a case has been registered against Lovepreet, his mother and sister, and four unidentified persons.A fair, impartial, and thorough investigation was being conducted, and further action would be taken strictly in accordance with law, the SSP said. Lovepreet and several members of his family were already facing criminal cases, he added.