Congress MP Randhawa’s In-Laws Among Four Booked for Double Murder in Land Dispute
Senior Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa’s father-in-law and brother-in-law are among four individuals booked for the murder of 55-year-old Vinay Partap Brar and his 22-year-old son, Surya Partap Brar. The father-son duo was shot dead on Saturday evening in their native village, Abul Khurana, near Malout, reportedly over a long-standing land dispute.
The killings took place on Lalbai Road as Vinay and Surya were returning from their fields in an SUV. According to the police, the FIR was lodged by Vinay’s daughter, Shazia Partap Brar, who accused Randhawa’s father-in-law, Nachattarpal Singh, his brother-in-law Ravinder Singh alias Bubby, Davinder Singh alias Rana, and an unidentified person of being involved in the crime.
Vinay Brar was the nephew (sister’s son) of Congress leader and former Sardulgarh MLA Ajit Inder Singh Mofar. Both Mofar and his son, Bikram Singh Mofar, said the incident stemmed from an old land dispute. “Vinay’s daughter was fully aware of the ongoing tensions and filed the FIR accordingly. The accused enjoy political patronage and are still at large even after 24 hours,” they alleged.
As per the FIR, the attack was planned and executed by Rana and an unknown accomplice. “My father, brother, and relative Darshan Singh Mofar were driving back from the fields when Rana and an unidentified man blocked their way using a tractor. An argument broke out, during which the unidentified man struck my father in the face with a baseball bat,” Shazia stated.
She added, “When my brother tried to fetch a bat from the SUV, Rana shot my father twice in the back, and then shot my brother as well. Both died on the spot. Darshan witnessed the attack and fled to save himself. We’ve had a long-running land dispute with Rana, Nachattar, and Ravinder. Earlier, Rana had threatened my father, saying he wouldn't allow us to harvest our wheat crop.”
Muktsar SSP Akhil Chaudhary confirmed that a case has been registered and a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by SP (Detective) Manmeet Singh, is probing the matter. “Efforts are on to arrest the accused. Preliminary investigation indicates a licensed .32 bore revolver was used in the killings. Rana is known to possess both a .32 revolver and a double-barrel gun. The post-mortem report will provide more clarity,” the SSP added.
Locals described both the victims and the accused as influential landlords in the area. They noted that Vinay had been living in Chandigarh and rarely visited the village, while his son was studying in Bangalore and his daughter is currently pursuing studies in Mohali.
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