Kasauli official death: Killer on the run held in Mathura

Vijay Singh caught by joint team of Himachal and Delhi Police.

May 03, 2018 10:21 pm | Updated December 01, 2021 06:20 am IST - CHANDIGARH

A demolition squad razes the illegal floor of a hotel at Dharampur near Kasauli in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh on May 02 2018.

A demolition squad razes the illegal floor of a hotel at Dharampur near Kasauli in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh on May 02 2018.

Three days after the killing of a woman government official, who was shot dead while she was supervising demolition drive of unauthorised constructions near Kasauli, a joint team of Himachal Pradesh and Delhi Police on Thursday arrested the accused – Vijay Singh – from Vrindavan town of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.

“It was a joint effort of Himachal Pradesh Police and Delhi Police special teams. Though he kept changing locations, we kept tracking him and nabbed him. He even stayed near the Mathura refinery and the Banke Bihari temple,” said Mohit Chawla, Superintendent of Police, Solan.

Mr. Chawla said that the accused was hiding in disguise at the time of arrest. “He is being brought back to the state by the police team and will be produced before the court,” he added.

Himachal Pradesh Police had come severe criticism from several quarters after the accused managed to escape in broad daylight after open firing on the victim.

The Congress party criticised the BJP government in the state over the incident.

Last Tuesday, assistant town and country planner Shail Bala was heading one of the four teams that were constituted to demolish illegal constructions. While she was supervising the sealing process at the Narayani Guest House on the Dharampur-Kasauli road, the guest house owner’s son Vijay Singh, after an altercation, opened fire, killing Shail Bala and critically injuring Gulab Singh, an employee of the Public Works Department.

Himachal Pradesh government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. The inquiry, which has been ordered by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, would be headed by the divisional commissioner of Shimla and will submit its report in 15 days.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.