Ludhiana BJP worker’s murder: Probe transferred after family alleges bias

The probe into the three-year-old murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter Jagdeep Singh alias Rinkle Khera was transferred to assistant commissioner of police (ACP, north) Gurbinder Singh on Tuesday.

Earlier, the probe was marked to ACP (central) Waryam Singh. Mani Khera, Rinkle Khera’s brother, said he met additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, city 1) Pragya Jain and demanded that the investigation should be marked to another officer. He alleged that Waryam is biased and favours Congress councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu, who is allegedly involved in the murder.

Mani added that the ADCP has assured them that she will keep a tab on the progress of the inquiry. Jain confirmed that the family requested a change in the investigating officer, following which she has transferred the probe to ACP north.

The matter had taken a turn on June 1 after proclaimed offender Sunny Nai appeared on social networking sites with a confession video and claimed that he had executed the killing at the behest of Congress councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu and his two sons. Sunny had also raised questions against the special investigation team which had given a clean chit to Neetu.

“We have handed over videos of confession by one of the main accused, Sunny Nai, to the ADCP, who has directed the ACP to investigate all those people Nai had named in his confession,” he added. On June 2, Mani filed a complaint with police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal, who had marked a probe to ADCP Pragya Jain.

Rinkle Khera was hacked to death by a group of assailants on July 19, 2018. The police had registered a murder case against Gurdeep Singh Neetu, his son Jatinder Pal Singh and six others. Later, Neetu was acquitted.