Shimla erupts in anger against Yug's killing

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 23

The anger of the people spilled on to roads after the recovery of the skeleton of four-year-old Yug from a tank. Hundreds of protesters, including family members, relatives and well-wishers of the deceased, today took out a procession from Ram Bazaar and protested in front of the Vidhan Sabha and marched to the High Court.

Shops closed

Expressing solidarity with the family, all shopkeepers of Ram Bazaar, Ganj, Middle Bazaar, Lower Bazaar and The Mall Road keep their shops closed till 1:30 pm. Shimla Veopar Mandal president Inderjeet Singh said, “We have requested the Bar Association not to take the case of the accused and also asked the market sabha to isolate the families of the accused.

Police blamed

The family members, who met the Chief Minister at Vidhan Sabha, demanded strict action against them. Uncle of the victim Satish, who led the procession carrying photograph of Yug, said had the police acted on time, Yug would have been alive and now all they want was justice. The family was in a state of trauma as they could not even see the body of the kid. The residents were enraged over the casual attitude of the Shimla police and said when thieves at Chief Minister’s ancestral palace “Shanti Kunj” in Sarahan could be traced in less than two days, why it took police more than two years in tracing the child.

‘Cops not serious’

The parents of Yug and protesters alleged that the police did not take up the case seriously and in spite of being told that the kidnappers were demanding ransom and names of the suspects were given to the police, no serious efforts were made to trace the child.

The parents were not satisfied with the investigations by the police and the mother of the victim, Pinky Gupta, filed a petition in the High Court and also informed it about the calls for ransom being received by her husband following which investigations were transferred to the CID.

HC seeks reply from govt

Taking a serious note of the issue of recovery of the skeleton of four-year-old Master Yug Gupta from a water tank near Kelston here, the High Court on Tuesday sought response from the state government and directed the Investigation Officer to file detailed affidavit in this regard. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan passed this order during the hearing of a PIL on the issue of contaminated water supply in Shimla city. During the course of hearing, the amicus curie told the court that a skeleton of the four-year-old missing boy was recovered from the water tank.

Expressing concern on the issue, the court has directed the Investigating Officer to remain present before the court on September 27. Pinky Gupta, mother of Yug Gupta, had also filed a petition before the court with a prayer that her son was missing since June 14, 2014 from the premises at Dawarkagarh, Ram Bazaar, Shimla. Following this, the court had on July 12 directed the state to file status report in this matter.