How a war of words on social media led to murder, encounter and political row

Karnal city has remained in the headlines for more than 20 days following the murder of Veeru Valmiki and the subsequent police encounter in which two men allegedly involved in the murder were killed. The issue has now taken a major turn, with the Ror community holding multiple mahapanchayats and announcing that it would boycott Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's proposed rally in Taraori on August 30 and oppose the entry of BJP leaders into Ror-dominated villages if its demands were not met. The proposed rally has since been postponed, but community members remain firm on their demands. Here is what you need to know about the case, the encounter and growing anger among the members of the community.How did the entire controversy begin?The sequence began with the killing of Veeru Valmiki on August 5. He was allegedly killed by two bike-borne assailants on Hansi Road in the city following a social media confrontation with gangster Vansh on Instagram. The confrontation reportedly revolved around claims of "Karnal ka Baap kaun". Vansh later took responsibility for Veeru's murder.The murder triggered anger among members of the Valmiki community and his family, with protesters refusing to lift the body and blocking a road while demanding action against those involved in the killing.The case took another turn on August 7, when Harsh, a resident of Kala Majra, and Birbal, from Matarwa Kheri in Kaithal district, were killed in a police encounter near the Western Yamuna Canal Bypass. Police claimed that the two were connected to Veeru's murder.The encounter has become a particular concern among members of the Ror community, to which Harsh belonged. The Akhil Bharatiya Ror Mahasabha has questioned the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Harsh and Birbal and demanded an independent investigation, preferably by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a retired High Court judge.Who was Veeru Valmiki and what happened to him?Valmiki (28) was a resident of Sadar Bazar in the city. On August 5, he was allegedly travelling on his scooty when two motorcycle-borne persons approached him near Bhagwaria Gas Agency on Hansi Road and shot him in the head.According to the police, ten FIRs had been registered against him in connection with offences including attempt to murder, carrying weapons, violations of the Arms Act, snatching, assault and other offences.His murder triggered anger, particularly among members of the Valmiki community. Family members and community members demanded strict action against those responsible. They refused to lift the body and staged a protest. Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand assured the family and the protesting community members that strict action would be taken against those involved in the murder.What happened after the murder?After the murder, Karnal Superintendent of Police (SP), Narendra Bijarniya constituted multiple teams to trace the persons involved. Police teams subsequently linked Harsh and Birbal to the murder. On August 7, Harsh and Birbal were allegedly killed in a police encounter near the Western Yamuna Canal bypass.Who were Harsh and Birbal?Harsh was a resident of Kala Majra village in Karnal district and belonged to the Ror community, while Birbal was from Matarwa Kheri village in Kaithal district. According to police records, as many as 13 cases related to theft, snatching and violations of the Arms Act had been registered against Birbal in Karnal, Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts. One case of criminal intimidation had been registered against Harsh at Butana police station.The police claimed that both men were involved in the murder of Veeru Valmiki. Later, Karnal Police arrested wanted accused Yogesh Kapoor, a resident of Nilokheri. A CIA team brought Kapoor to Karnal from Mumbai after he was detained at the airport.Police further claimed that Kapoor was an accused in Veeru's murder as well as in another FIR related to an attempted murder case recently registered in Nilokheri. Kapoor allegedly told the police that Veeru's murder was carried out by Vansh following a confrontation on Instagram. He further claimed that he was an old associate of Harsh and Birbal.According to Kapoor's alleged account, Vansh had arranged the weapon used in Veeru's murder. Kapoor also alleged that Harsh and Birbal had opened fire at Veeru during the incident.What are the demands of the Ror community?Raising questions over the circumstances of the encounter and whether all legal procedures were followed, the Akhil Bharatiya Ror Mahasabha called a mahapanchayat and demanded a CBI investigation or an inquiry by a retired High Court judge into the encounter. It also demanded action against the police personnel involved in the encounter, along with their transfer.Community members also sought the resignation and an apology from Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand over statements he allegedly made while trying to pacify Veeru Valmiki's family. They claimed that Anand was aware of the expected police action.However, Anand later denied the allegations, saying he had gone to the post-mortem house after Veeru Valmiki's murder, as Veeru was a resident of his constituency. He said he was not aware of the accused or any planned police action and had only assured the family that strict action would be taken against those involved in the murder.Following the call for a mahapanchayat in Karnal, the state government ordered that the encounter case be transferred to the State Crime Branch, with the investigation to be conducted under the supervision of Sanjay Kumar, ADGP, Law and Order, Haryana.However, the decision did not satisfy the Ror Mahasabha. Its president, Balkar Singh, said that the community had not demanded an inquiry by the State Crime Branch.What happened at the August 24 mahapanchayat?On August 24, a large number of community members gathered at Ror Dharamshala in Karnal and took out a protest march towards the Mini Secretariat. They submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Dr Anand Kumar Sharma, pressing for all three of their demands.Meanwhile, they threatened to boycott the Chief Minister's rally scheduled to be held in Taraori on August 30. However, the rally was later postponed. The reason for the postponement was not officially clarified, although sources claimed that it was due to law-and-order concerns in view of the call given by the Ror community.BJP leaders, however, said the rally was postponed because of the monsoon session of the Haryana Assembly.What happened at the August 26 Ror Mahasabha meeting?The Mahasabha held another meeting at Ror Dharamshala, which was attended by community members as well as political leaders from different parties. Pundri BJP MLA Satpal Jamba, who belongs to the Ror community, even offered to resign as MLA if the community president asked him to do so.However, Mahasabha president Balkar Singh said resignation was not the solution. Instead, he urged elected representatives from the community to use their positions within the government to press for the demands.The Mahasabha has now given the government a fresh deadline of September 1 and warned that BJP leaders could face opposition in Ror-dominated villages if the demands are not accepted.

How a war of words on social media led to murder, encounter and political row

Mahasabha gives Sept 1 deadline; warns BJP leaders can face opposition in Ror-dominated villages

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

How a war of words on social media led to murder, encounter and political row

Mahasabha gives Sept 1 deadline; warns BJP leaders can face opposition in Ror-dominated villages

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

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