Punjab seeks report on killing of two brothers

Chandigarh, Sep 29 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said his government has sought a report on the killing of two youths by the police near Ludhiana.

He told media in Ludhiana, 110 km from here, that the Ludhiana deputy commissioner has also been asked to investigate the matter and submit a report immediately.

The two youths, both brothers in their 20s, were allegedly killed in a gunfight with the police in Jamalpur area of Ludhiana district Saturday morning. Both of them – Harinder Singh and Jatinder Singh – were accused in an attempt to murder case.

The incident took place when police entered a house where the victims were staying. A scuffle broke out between them and the police team and shots were fired. The brothers were killed in the shootout.

Senior police officers in Ludhiana said the shootout took place following a scuffle.

Some other people staying in the same house fled when the incident took place.

The opposition Congress condemned the "cold-blooded killing of two brothers". Punjab Congress president Pratap Singh Bajwa alleged that it was a staged shootout.

Bajwa said "no bigger evidence is needed to prove that the law of jungle prevailed in Punjab and there is total breakdown of the chain of command". "Those in power are dictating terms at every level in the state and no one is safe," he said in a statement.

He said the contradictory versions put up by police had exposed everything.