Crime branch launches probe into Karnal suicide

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 24

The state crime branch has started inquiry into the death of Bharat, alias Sonu Wadhwa, younger brother of Deputy Mayor Manoj Wadhwa.

Sonu’s body was recovered from the augmentation canal near Bhusli village on September 15, two days after his car was found abandoned on the bank of the same canal near Unchasamana village.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visited Manoj’s residence today to pay his condolences. Leaders of various political parties, local traders and family members and relatives of the deceased handed over a memorandum to Khattar, demanding a fair inquiry.

An INLD leader, Manoj had contested the last Assembly elections against Khattar. Manoj told the Chief Minister that his brother was innocent and was not an accused in the case registered at the Taraori police station on December 30 last.

He said the case was registered against him and their father Radhe Shyam. He said the police had recovered Rs 16.42 lakh from their accountant Mohit and claimed that the amount was Rs 70 lakh.

“We had got a clean chit from the Income Tax Department after producing all relevant documents, but the police had been harassing us deliberately, which drove my younger brother to suicide,” Manoj told the Chief Minister. Manoj’s counsel and Congress leader Varinder Rathore told Khattar that the police stated in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 21 that the custody of any member of the Deputy Mayor’s was not required in connection with the case and the court directed the police to file an affidavit.

The Chief Minister assured the bereaved family members that justice would be delivered and the guilty would not be spared.

SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said SPs Kamal Deep Goyal and Surender Pal Singh had started investigation into the case registered at the Taraori police station and Manoj’s complaint against two DSPs and an Inspector.

“Goyal is inquiring the case registered against Radhe Shyam and his son and Singh is investigating the allegations levelled by Manoj,” he said. They had recorded the statements of Manoj and his father while the statements of their accountant and family members were yet to be recorded, he added.