Jalandhar: On police assurance, kin cremate ex-sarpanch’s body

Jalandhar, July 3

Residents of Lakhanpal village today bid tearful adieu to Gurmel Ram, an 80-year-old former sarpanch and a social worker, who was brutally murdered on the night of June 28.

Family members today cremated the body after the police assured them that the suspects would be nabbed within next two to three days.

Initially, the family members of the deceased had decided not to cremate the body till the suspects were arrested. The body was getting decomposed due to hot and humid weather. So, the family members decided to cremate it today.

The incident took place on Friday when Gurmel left his house for a night walk close to the nearby fields. When he didn’t return home, his family members, along with other villagers, started looking for him. They found his body on the roadside with multiple stab wounds on his chest, neck and stomach. They immediately informed the police about the matter.

Gurmel’s son Balwinder Kumar said: “The police have assured us that they are on the verge of solving the case and the suspects will be arrested within this week. The body was getting decomposed due to hot and humid weather. So, we had to cremate it today”. Balwinder said the motive behind the murder was not clear yet. They had no enmity with anyone.

Sanjeev Kumar, SHO of the Sadar police station, said teams were working on the case and were investigating it from various angles. The suspects would be apprehended soon.