12 men barge inside bus, hurl chilli powder at cops & shoot dead murder accused in Rajasthan

PTI, Jul 12, 2023, 5:43 PM IST

Jaipur: Around a dozen men barged inside a Rajasthan Roadways bus on Wednesday and shot dead a murder accused who was being escorted by a police team for a court hearing in Bharatpur, officials said. Another murder accused was injured in the firing and is admitted in a hospital in a critical state, they said.

According to police, the bus was stopped near Amoli toll plaza under Halena police station of Bharatpur by around 12 men who came in a car and two motorcycles. They entered the bus and hurled chili powder on the policemen and started firing on Kuldeep Jagheena and Vijaypal.

Kuldeep Jagheena and Vijaypal, accused in a 2022 murder case, were being taken to Bharatpur from Jaipur by a team of seven policemen led by a head constable armed with two semi-automatic rifles (SLR). SP Bharatpur Mridul Kachchawa said the two murder accused were rushed to RBM government hospital in Bharatpur where Kuldeep Jagheena was declared brought dead by doctors, while Vijaypal is being treated in a critical condition. Meanwhile, the police said they have identified the culprits with the help of CCTV footage and a vehicle has been recovered.

Police in nearby districts, including Dausa, have been alerted and intense checking on highways is going on.

Detailing the incident, Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration)-Jaipur Rahul Prakash said several bullets were shot at Kuldeep Jagheena, while the policemen managed to protect Vijaypal from the direct assault. He said the police team did not open fire in view of the security of the bus passengers. The officer said an inquiry will be done and action will be taken if any policeman is found guilty of negligence.

Kuldeep Jagheena and Vijaypal were allegedly involved in the murder of Kripal Jagheena, who was shot dead in Bharatpur on September 4 last year over a land dispute.

Kuldeep Jagheena was the main accused in the case. He along with four others was arrested on September 11 last from Maharashtra in the case.