In Himachal's Chamba, a mob of 1,000 sets 'honour killing' accused's house on fire; CM Sukhu urges people not to give communal colour to incident

Shimla, June 16

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Ten people were arrested on charges of burning a wooden house in retaliation by a mob after the gruesome killing of a man in Salooni area of Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district.

Kangra DIG Abhishek Dullar said a mob of around 1,000 set the house of the accused ablaze on Thursday. The family of the accused was evacuated safely.

Amidst communal tension, the local administration has imposed Section 144 of CrPC in the area.

Condemning the murder, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu has called for upholding unity and harmony and emphasised the need to refrain from giving a political or communal colour to the incident.

In a suspected case of honour killing, a young man, believed to be in a romantic relationship with a woman belonging to a minority community, was murdered. His body was cut into eight pieces and dumped in a bag before being disposed of in a sewer.

The victim had been missing since June 6. His body was recovered three days later.

Such incidents should not be flared up, Sukhu told the media here on Thursday.

The chief minister said the law would take its course and assured the victim’s family that the government stood firmly with them during this hour of grief.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to safeguard the interests of all communities, the chief minister said the culprits behind the heinous crime would not escape punishment. Stringent action would be taken against them as per the law, he said.

The chief minister urged the public to maintain peace and cooperate with the authorities conducting investigation into the matter.