Pushkar resort firing: Sons waited for 31 years to ‘avenge’ father’s murder

Jaipur, Jan 10 (IANS) In a incident which seems ripped from a Bollywood potboiler, 70-year-old former councillor Sawai Singh was shot dead and his 68-year-old friend Dinesh Tiwari injured in Rajasthan’s Pushkar by a pair of men who were waiting for over three decades to avenge their father’s death.

The murder on Saturday was connected to the 1992 ‘Ajmer blackmail case’.

The men who opened fire on Sawai Singh and Tiwari in Banseli village of Pushkar were the sons of Madan Singh, who used to run a weekly newspaper and was publishing news about the blackmail scandal – where many girls of Ajmer were raped after being blackmailed. This allegedly led to his murder in 1992 – in a hospital where he was taken after being injured in an attack.

The police had registered a case of murder against Sawai Singh, Rajkumar Jaipal, Narendra Singh and others, but all accused were acquitted by the court. Since then, both the sons of Madan Singh – Surya Pratap Singh and Dharam Pratap Singh, who were 8 to 12 years then, had vowed to avenge their father’s death.

This was their second attempt to complete the revenge in the last 10 years.

According to the police, during investigation it was found that the brothers were carrying pistols in both their hands and started firing at Sawai Singh, hitting him in the head and stomach and killing him. Meanwhile, Tiwari was injured.

According to Ajmer’s CO, Rural, Islam Khan, first the main accused Surya Pratap Singh was arrested, and a country-made pistol and three bullets recovered from him, while his brother and an associates fled from the spot.

On Monday, another accused in the case, 21-year-old Vinay Pratap, was arrested. He had allegedly followed Sawai Singh to ascertain his movements.

On Monday, Surya Pratap Singh and Vinay Pratap were produced in a court, which sent on them to four days police remand.

–IANS

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