Cops announce

Punjab police on Sunday announced a reward of ₹1 lakh for providing information on assailants a day after Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Prabhakar, 35, who was heading the Nangal unit, was shot dead.
As per the police, the two unidentified assailants, wearing helmets and masks, reached the confectionary shop of the right-wing leader in Nangal town on a scooter having no number plate. While one of the assailants entered the shop and opened fire at Vikas, the other waited on a scooter. After firing, the attackers fled the spot.
At the time of the incident, Vikas is said to be alone at his shop on the Railway Road market. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The incident took place on Saturday evening at around 5 pm. Vikas is survived by his wife and two daughters.
The CCTV footage of the crime scene shows one of the assailants entering the shop.
Rupnagar SSP Gulneet Khurana said prima facie it looks like a well-planned murder.
“The assailants, meticulously, first parked the scooter outside the shop, and then one of the assailants entered the shop and fired at Vikas. Forensics experts have recovered an empty shell from the crime scene. This has already been corroborated by the doctors, who revealed that it was a head injury. Preliminary investigations revealed that a country-made weapon was used in the crime. We have announced a reward for information on the assailants,” the SSP said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, deceased kin, VHP supporters and BJP workers on Sunday held a protest on the Una-Chandigarh highway to protest the murder. They demanded that the assailants and conspirators should be held as soon as possible.
Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla and Rupnagar DIG Range Jagadale Nilambari also reached Nangal to supervise the probe.
“Special teams from other districts, Batala and Amritsar, have been called in to join the investigation. Besides, counterintelligence and CID teams have already started the probe. We have found some important leads and have rounded up a few suspects. We will soon solve the case,” she said.
BJP state chief meets deceased’s kin
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar also reached Nangal on Sunday and met the kin of the victim. He blamed the state government for poor law and order in the state and for alleged ‘targeted killing’ aimed at vitiating the peace in Punjab ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
“The timing and attempt of those behind this killing is to foment communal strife in Punjab,” Jakhar said, adding, “Bhagwant Mann regime has failed miserably to protect the lives of citizens.”
Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains, who is a local MLA, called the murder an unfortunate incident and said whosoever is behind it will not be spared.
“Whosoever is guilty and the mastermind of this incident will not be spared. They will face consequences,” said Bains, adding that nobody will be allowed to disturb the peace.