Chandigarh: On Wednesday, a group of armed men shot and killed the owner of Saini Hero Agency, who was also a Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader, in Hansi town in Haryana’s Hisar district.
The attackers fired three bullets at Ravindra Saini who was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed. CCTV footage of the incident shows four criminals fleeing the scene of the crime on a motorcycle. The town has been cordoned off in a bid to catch them.
This is the second shooting incident at a vehicle agency in Hisar within 15 days.
On 24 June, a Mahindra car dealership in Hisar was targeted by masked men who opened fire at the showroom in broad daylight and left a letter demanding Rs 5 crore. The owner of the agency had received death threats about a year ago, which he reported to the Hansi police, it is learnt. As a result, the police had deputed a gunman for his protection.
At around 6 PM that day, Saini was standing outside the agency while the gunman was inside. At that moment, assailants arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire at him. Saini was hit by three bullets. He was later rushed to the Civil Hospital in Hansi where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The incident was recorded on video and reported in the media. The handwritten note left by the miscreants mentioned the names of eight criminals, including that of Neeraj Bawana, Himanshu Bhau, Kala Khairampuria, Lalu Kharia, Sunny Khararia, Sajid Khan, Suresh Dhanduria and Neeraj Faridpuria, the police confirmed.
Over the next two days, extortion calls were reportedly received by Bhim Automobiles and Goyal Car Accessories, both in Hisar Auto Market, and the caller demanded Rs 2 crore each from them.
Previously, on 21 January this year, miscreants fired 40 rounds at Matu Ram Halwai’s shop in Gohana town of Sonipat district and a paper slip was dropped stating a demand for Rs 2 crore. The Bhau gang had owned responsibility for the firing, according to the state police.
Matu Ram Halwai, known for his king-sized jalebis weighing 250 grams each, is popular in Haryana as well as its neighbouring states.
Weeks after this incident, miscreants fired at Sitaram Halwai, a famous shop at Sampla town in Rohtak, and demanded Rs 1 crore.
In the past few months, more than 20 such incidents have been reported in various parts of Haryana, and are set to become a major issue in the upcoming assembly elections, with traders citing them to criticise law and order under the incumbent BJP government.
On Sunday, when Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh was at Hansi town of Hisar for a two-day visit, Ram Avtar Tayal, state president of Bhartiya Vyapar Mandal, addressed a gathering in his presence and raised the matter of the attacks.
Tayal said that the police under former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda were able to curb such extortion activities by adopting tougher measures, and a similar strategy was needed now.
“When Hooda was the CM from 2005 to 2009 and you (Singh) were a minister at the Centre, the police used tough measures against the gangsters and some of them were killed in encounters. We need the same strategy to curb the activities of criminals now,” Tayal said, while looking at Singh who sat expressionless at the dais.
When mediapersons sought Singh’s reaction to Tayal’s comments, he said: “You have heard what he has said. What do I have to comment on it?”
Contacted by ThePrint over mobile Tuesday, Tayal alleged that the spate of attacks showed that “there was jungle raj in Haryana”.
He pointed out that such was the case when CM Nayab Saini also held charge of the state department of home affairs.
However, Praveen Attrey, media secretary to the Haryana CM, told ThePrint that the police had been actively pursuing criminals in the state and in most cases, the accused had been brought to book. “CM Saini is very serious about curbing the activities of criminals and he has already called a review meeting of the home department for Wednesday,” he said.
Also Read: Days after lathicharge, Haryana sarpanches continue stir against e-tendering rule: ‘Won’t bow down’
‘Matter of shame for Haryana’
Hooda’s son and Congress MP from Rohtak Deepender Singh Hooda posted a video of Tayal’s speech on X, writing in Hindi: “Today, even in the gatherings of strangers, the talking point is… if we want a developed Haryana, a safe Haryana, then we need Hooda ji back again!”
Speaking to ThePrint Tuesday, Deepender said it was not just the Opposition’s allegation but even the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister, in its Social Progress Index report of 2022, had found Haryana among the worst performing states, ranking 21 in the personal safety index of residents.
“Due to rampant unemployment in the state and recruitment to the Army under the Agnipath scheme, youth who wanted to go to the borders for the country are now crossing borders through the donkey route to settle abroad. Those who wanted to fight for the country are now fighting for Russia in Ukraine, and those who wanted to join the armed forces for their love for guns are now joining gangsters and using guns for criminal activities,” he alleged.
The Congress MP further said that it was a matter of shame for Haryana that most of the sharpshooters involved in various killings, including that of singer Sidhu Moosewala, were from Haryana.
According to Hooda, law and order in Haryana had “completely collapsed” under BJP rule. “When the state president of a recognised political party (Nafe Singh Rathee of the INLD) can be gunned down on a busy road in the state, one can easily understand the state of law and order in Haryana,” he added.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Sidhu Moose Wala releases song on Punjab ‘super-spreader’, gives call for social distancing