Emotions run high at young siblings’ cremation in K’shetra

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Sarsa (Kurukshetra), November 22

Hundreds of villagers gathered at Sarsa village today to attend the cremation of three young siblings shot dead allegedly at the behest of their father Sonu.

The pyres of Sameer (11), Simran (8) and Samar (4) were lit in a highly emotional atmosphere at the village cremation ground in the evening.

Relatives consigned the bodies to flames and family members of the victims were inconsolable. Most shops in the village remained shut as a mark of solidarity with the aggrieved family.

Soon after the bodies arrived from Panchkula around 4:30 pm, victims’ mother Suman fainted twice. She was informed about the tragedy a few hours before the bodies reached home.

The bodies were kept at a vacant plot near their house for a while. Two aunts of the victims fainted several times before the funeral procession.

The bullet-ridden bodies were found by the Panchkula police in the Morni hills of Panchkula district yesterday. Sonu’s cousin Jagdeep Malik was arrested for killing the children and dumping the bodies in the forest.

Ninety-year-old Raghunandan Sharma said it was unbelievable that Sonu and his cousin Jagdeep were the conspirators. “I have never before heard of innocent children having been done to death by family members. The guilty must be given exemplary punishment,” he said.

Another villager Rambhaj said the crime had brought shame to the village. He said the Morni area housed wildlife and it was luck that the bodies were retrieved and cremated.

“Sarsa is predominantly a village of the Malik gotra and is like an extended family. The two accused have cause embarrassment to us. After this incident, people will hesitate in having matrimonial relationship with the village youths,” he said.

Another resident near the victim’s house said the two accused had never been unfriendly with fellow villagers. “Their family conduct was never appreciated by local residents. They own about 12 acres each of fertile land, but their personal activities were being seen with an eye of suspicion,” said the villager.