The incident took place over a decade ago in a village in Aligarh.
More than a decade after a National Security Guard (NSG) commando was gunned down for opposing cheating during an intermediate examination, a local court in Aligarh sentenced seven accused to life imprisonment on Friday.
The incident took place in March 2013 in Murwar village. Tejveer Singh (26), who was posted in Delhi, had come home on leave. He was waiting outside an examination centre, where his brother-in-law, Sonu, was taking the exam, when he objected to a man helping his son cheat — and was shot dead.
The court held eight accused guilty on charges including murder, attempt to murder and other related offences. “The court sentenced seven of the convicted persons to life imprisonment in the case,” government counsel Sudhanshu Agarwal said. The eighth accused was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, he said.
All the accused had been out on bail during the trial and were taken into custody after the verdict. Another accused passed away during the trial.
Agarwal added that the prosecution had examined 13 witnesses during the trial, but the complainant, Shyamveer Singh, was the sole eyewitness to the incident. No defence witnesses were examined by the court.
According to the prosecution, the complaint in the case was lodged by Shyamveer, Tejveer’s brother.
The prosecution said on March 12, 2013, during the second shift of the intermediate examination, an argument broke out at the examination centre between a local resident, Kuldeep, and Ram Prakash, the village pradhan of neighbouring Rajawal.
Ram Prakash was allegedly helping his son, Papees, to cheat by passing answers from outside the examination centre, the prosecution said.
Tejveer stepped in to support Kuldeep and objected to the cheating. Infuriated, Ram Prakash reportedly summoned his family, relatives, and associates, who arrived within minutes armed with firearms and other weapons, it said.
The prosecution said a heated exchange followed, which escalated into a violent clash. Tejveer sustained gunshot injuries, while Kuldeep was seriously injured. Both were rushed to the hospital, where Tejveer succumbed to his injuries. Kuldeep survived the attack and remained hospitalised for several days before being discharged.
Police arrested the accused persons and sent them to jail. During the course of the trial, Ram Prakash passed away. Kuldeep too died.
When contacted, Shyamveer said the family was satisfied with the judgment. He said his brother is survived by his wife, Preeti Devi, and their two children. He added that Preeti was later provided employment in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).(IE)