An RTI activist, who was trying to evict alleged land grabbers from a temple in Kasna village here, was found charred to death in his car on Thursday night. His family has alleged foul play.
According to the police, Chandra Mohan Sharma, who worked for a global automobile giant, was on his way home in Alpha Sector here around 11-20 p.m. when his car went up in flames.
Gautam Budh Nagar SSP Preetinder Singh said: “The people at the spot tried to break the car’s windows with stones, but they were unable to rescue Chandra Mohan.”
By the time the police reached there, the victim had succumbed to his burns. The body was then taken to a hospital for post-mortem.
The police said Chandra Mohan had been experiencing problems with his Chevrolet car. “Four days ago, he had removed the CNG kit from the car. Even on the day of the incident, he had trouble starting the car,” said Mr. Singh. The car will be sent for technical inspection.
While the police are investigating all angles, the victim’s family has alleged foul play.
“He was murdered because for the past eight to ten years he had been working to remove encroachers from a temple. He had been threatened and attacked many times, the last being on April 28. He was driving near Pari Chowk when his car was stopped and he was beaten and verbally abused,” said Videsh Kumar, brother-in-law of Chandra Mohan.
Mr. Kumar, who also lives in Kasna, said villagers were trying to evict some individuals who had encroached on temple land. “Chandra Mohan had filed an application to get details about this issue,” he added.
Chandra Mohan, who was in his mid-30s, is survived by his wife, daughter and son .
