SAD leader Shiv Lal Doda, gangster Jaipal booked for threatening witness

ABOHAR: In a new twist to the infamous Bhim Tank murder case, in which a Dalit youth was chopped to death allegedly by the henchmen of liquor baron and SAD leader Shiv Lal Doda at his farmhouse in Ramsara village of

Abohar

district on December 11, 2015, key witness Gurjant Singh alias Janta Lahoria has approached the police to seek security.


Janta has alleged threat from a gangster, saying he has been getting calls from a foreign mobile number, threatening to eliminate him and his family if he gave a statement against Doda, a conspirator in the case.

On his complaint, the Abohar City -2 police has registered a case under sections 195A (threatening any person to give false evidence), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the

Indian Penal Code

against Doda, his nephew Amit Doda, property business partner Rajiv Chugh, SAD Abohar circle president Suresh Satija and gangster Jaipal Singh Bhullar of Ferozepur. The police have also deployed six cops at Janta’s residence in the Subash Nagar locality as precautionary measure.

Bhullar, who is wanted in several criminal cases, has been evading arrest since long. In his police complaint, Janta stated that he had received a call on his mobile from a foreign number on December 19 and the caller introduced him as Jaipal Singh Bhullar, who warned him against recording his statement against Doda during the next case hearing in the court. “Later, Rajiv Chugh and Suresh Satija also threatened me, not to record my statement against Doda and others on December 25 in Abohar,” alleged Janta.

While Tank was killed, Janta had sustained multiple injuries in the incident. Janta had accompanied Tank to Doda’s farmhouse on December 11, 2015, when Doda’s henchmen attacked them. While Janta survived, he lost one hand in the attack. A case under various sections of the IPC had been registered against over two dozen, accused including Doda, and the accused have been in judicial custody in different jails in the state.

Though Janta, his brother Ranjit Singh and another eyewitness had turned hostile in the district court, the siblings later filed an application in the court to record their statement on the scheduled hearing of the case on January 10. As their statement bears great significance to determine the fate of the case, it is alleged that Doda is using his money power to hire Bhullar and threaten Janta of dire consequences if he deposed against him and others in the court.

Meanwhile, while terming the allegations as false and fabricated, Abohar SAD circle president Suresh Satija claimed his name had been included in the FIR under political vendetta.

Abohar DSP Rahul Bhardwaj refused to comment on the, issue claiming it could hamper the

witness protection

programme.

The additional court of

Fazilka

has fixed the next hearing in the case on January 31, 2019 .