Two Gunmen Shoot and Kill Father and Son in a Canteen

**kellyhound** · #1 ● 02-26-2017, 09:12 AM

India, Two gunmen on a motorcycle killed a man and his son, both local organisers for the Sirsa headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda, at a congregation centre in Jagera village near Malaudh on Saturday.

“Prime facie, the crime appears to be an offshoot of the ongoing conflict between the dera and Sikh radical elements,” police told.

Police said Satpal Kumar (65) and Ramesh (35), residents of neighbouring Ahmadgarh, were shot while they were visiting a canteen being run at the ‘naam charcha ghar’ around 7 pm. They died on the spot.

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At least four cartridges of .32-bore revolver were recovered from the spot. “We are examining footage from CCTVs installed around the crime scene to trace the accused,” an officer said.

However, Malaudh station house officer Ravinder Kumar did not subscribe to the view that Sikh radicals were behind the murders. “It may be a case of personal rivalry because the killers targeted only Satpal and his son, and did not hurt the other dera followers at the spot,” said Kumar.

Dera followers and Sikh radicals have been at loggerheads since 2007, when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh – the leader of the sect – allegedly dressed up as Sikh saint Guru Gobind Singh. Violent clashes followed, and the Akal Takht even issued an edict that Sikhs must boycott the dera head over his blasphemous act.

The shooting of Satpal and Ramesh is the first incident of the kind to occur after the Punjab assembly polls on February 4, for which the dera leadership extended open support to the incumbent alliance of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The ruling party leaders, in turn, promised to arrange congregations for the dera head in Punjab after a gap of almost 10 years.