3 held for involvement in ex-MLA's shooting case
As many as three persons have been arrested for being involved in the shooting incident in which former Congress MLA Bumber Thakur was injured. The accused have been identified as Rohit Kumar Rana, (29), a resident of Dharot village in Shri Naina Devi Ji Tehsil, Bilaspur, Manjeet Singh Nadda (33), a resident of Binaula village in Bilaspur and Ritesh Sharma, alias Rishu (24), a resident of Rohin village in Ghumarwin tehsil, Bilaspur.
According to police, one of the accused Ritesh had helped the shooters to abscond from the crime scene in his vehicle after the fired shot outside the residence of Thakur, while the role of other two accused is yet to be determined.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Bilaspur, Sandeep Dhawal said that a case under section 109 (Attempt to Murder), 3 (5) (Joint Criminal Liability) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act 2023 and Section 25-54-59 of the Arms Act, 1959, had been registered and further investigation is going on. He said that the CCTV footage was being checked and the shooters involved in the incident were being identified.
On March 14, about four unidentified assailants reached the residence of Bumber Thakur in Bilaspur and fired about 12 rounds of bullets. Thakur sustained bullet injuries on his thigh. His PSO and one more person were also injured in the incident. While Thakur was brought to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) for further treatment, his PSO was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Bilaspur, for treatment. While being admitted in the hospital, Thakur had claimed that the attack was orchestrated by drug mafia as he had raised his voice against ‘chitta’.
The incident drew criticism from the opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur who raised questions over the law and order in the state, besides demanding immediate arrest of the accused involved in the incident. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu assured stern action against those responsible for the incident.
In the meantime, Himachal Pradesh police has constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Central Range Soumya Sambasivan to probe into the matter. The SIT is being supervised by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Gyaneshwar Singh.
