Body placed on RS Pura road during protest; officials assure fair inquiry as tensions ease
Sarabjit Singh
Jammu Tawi: Tension gripped the RS Pura–Satwari belt on Sunday after the family of a local youth, Harshpreet Singh alias Janu, accused the police of killing him in a case of alleged mistaken identity, triggering a massive protest at Simbal Morh.
Angry relatives and residents blocked the busy RS Pura road for several hours, placing the body of the deceased on the carriageway and demanding the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. The protest disrupted traffic and drew a large gathering of locals from adjoining areas, including Satwari and Musa Chak Pind.
The protesters alleged that the police had opened fire without properly identifying the individual, claiming that Harshpreet Singh was not involved in any criminal activity. According to them, the initial police version suggested that the body was recovered from a canal and shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, without clearly mentioning any firing incident.
Family members claimed that confusion arose due to the mention of another individual, identified as Abhinit alias Nagi—allegedly a known criminal—in official records, leading to suspicion that Harshpreet may have been mistakenly targeted.
Kuldeep Singh, father of the deceased, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, said his son had no criminal background. “My son was neither a violator of law nor involved in any illegal activity. We want justice and an impartial investigation,” he said, demanding a probe by an independent agency, preferably a CBI inquiry.
The victim’s mother, Ravinder Kaur, stated that Harshpreet, who had passed Class 12, was preparing to go abroad in search of better livelihood opportunities. She added that he also suffered from a heart ailment and was the primary earning member of the family.
Local residents said Harshpreet had left home in the evening, and the family came to know about the incident later at night.
Political and civil society voices also joined the protest. Congress leader Taranjit Singh Tony said that while action against drug abuse and crime is necessary, but the“innocent people should not become victims of hasty or unverified operations.” RTI activist Balvinder Singh also demanded a time-bound SIT probe to establish the facts.
Senior civil and police officials, including SDM RS Pura Anuradha Thakur, SP Headquarters Anna Sinha, and SDPO Gurmeet Singh, rushed to the spot and held discussions with the agitating family and protesters. They assured that an SIT would be constituted and that a fair and transparent investigation would be conducted.
Following these assurances, the family agreed to lift the protest and allow normal movement on the road.
Official Version Awaited:
While authorities have promised an inquiry, a detailed official statement clarifying the sequence of events, including whether police firing took place and under what circumstances, is still awaited. The outcome of the proposed SIT probe is expected to determine accountability and address the concerns raised by the bereaved family and local residents.
The incident has once again highlighted high-handedness of the men in uniform and the need for transparency and adherence to standard operating procedures in sensitive law-and-order operations to maintain public trust.
