Photo for representational purpose. Photo for representational purpose.

A KEY WITNESS in the gangrape and murder of a 35-year-old woman in Shamli district’s Kairana this April was shot dead early Monday at his house at Akbarpur Sunheti village, police said.

The witness, 55-year-old Brahmpal Singh, was shot in his sleep between 1.30 am and 2 am at a site where residents keep their cattle, said local police, citing a complaint from Singh’s brother.

Singh was the brother-in-law of the woman who was kidnapped on April 4 and found murdered three days later, according to police. The gangrape and murder had sparked outrage in the area with BJP MP Hukum Singh claiming that the incident had led to an exodus of Hindu families from Kairana to escape “criminal elements” belonging to “a particular community”.

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Police said that in his complaint lodged on Monday, Singh’s brother Ramesh named six people, identified as Mustafa, Amzad, Safdar, Maulana Mehsar, Sufiyan and Parvez, all residents of the village and relatives of two of the accused in the gangrape and murder case.

A case of murder has been registered against the six, said police, based on Ramesh’s complaint.

Kairana police station SHO A P Bhardwaj said that residents came to know about Singh’s murder “by members of the other community” through an announcement made from a loudspeaker at the local temple.

“The accused allegedly shot dead Brahmpal in the ‘gher’ (where villagers keep their cattle) where he was sleeping between 1.30 am and 2 am Monday. Ramesh, who lodged the complaint, alleged that he saw the accused running away after killing his brother and that they were relatives of those accused in the gangrape and murder (of April),” said Bhardwaj.

Police are verifying the allegations made in the complaint, he said.

The complainant Ramesh also alleged that the family of the accused in the gangrape and murder had been mounting pressure on his relatives to not pursue the case.

Apart from the allegations of an exodus, the gangrape and murder had stoked controversy after the police also named two of the victim’s relatives — nephew Ankush and brother-in-law Ramendra — as accused along with two local traders Kurban and Mohsin.

Kurban and Mohsin are in jail while Ankush and Ramendra are allegedly on the run.

When contacted, MP Hukum Singh said that he would visit the spot after the ongoing Parliament session.

“I had apprehensions about this. He (Brahmpal) was the only person who took up the case. They dared to kill him inside his house even when PAC (Police Armed Constabulary) was deployed in the village. If this situation prevails, all Hindus will have to leave Kairana,” said Hukum Singh.

In June, while investigating a list prepared by the MP of Hindus who had allegedly left Kairana, The Indian Express found that some were dead, some had left years ago, and others had left in search of better jobs.

In September, a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) report listed the influx of thousands of Muslims — who fled Muzaffarnagar district after the 2013 violence — as one of the many reasons for the migration of Hindus from Kairana.

The NHRC report was based on a complaint from Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora who had alleged that families of “a particular religion” are leaving the Kairana area of western UP due to fear of criminals. Arora’s complaint included the murder and gangrape in Akbarpur Sunheti and alleged police inaction.

The NHRC report stated: “Most of the witnesses examined and victims feel that the rehabilitation in 2013 has permanently changed the social situation in Kairana town and has led to further deterioration of the law and order situation.”

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