Thapar students’ death: Probe indicates accident

Aman Sood

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Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 13

Four months after the Supreme Court ordered that a murder case be registered regarding the death of two Thapar University students in 2010, the probe report has indicated that the deaths were an accident. The final report, to be completed next month, points towards “an accident, not murder.”

In December 4, 2014, the SC had ordered that a murder case be filed and an independent probe conducted by an SP-rank officer. On the night of September 27, 2010, management student Gagandeep Singh Bains and his friend Gaurav Verma were killed when their Ford Endeavour SUV crashed into a stationary truck near Liberty Chowk, Rajpura. Zorawar Singh, son of then Patiala SDM Gurmeet Singh, and his friend Jaskaran Singh were injured in the mishap.

The Supreme Court, accepting the report of Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh ruling out the possibility of an accident, had recommended a murder case against Zorawar.

Sources say that the police have been unable to establish the murder theory. It has yet to question the two accused who are in Canada.

“We have recorded the statements of more than 40 persons, including the truck cleaner,” said Superintendent of Police Jiskaranjit Singh Teja, who is investigating the case.

Highly placed sources said the police had recreated the accident scene but were unable to prove if it was a planned murder. When contacted, Teja said the accused students were expected to join investigation in April, as assured by their parents.