Jind: Two years after a newly-wed youth was lynched by villagers in the presence of police escort for marrying against social norms, a local court in Jind has convicted 12 persons in the honour killing case while acquitting a chief of 'jat' community organisation.
The district and sessions court found guilty 12 of the 14 people facing trail including Dhanraj and Dhanpati, in-laws of the slain youth Vedapal, and Dharampal a former Panchayat Samiti member.
While Pawanjit Bhanwala, President of All India Adrash Jat Maha Sabha, was acquitted by the court due to lack of evidenace, one of the accused is absconding.
The Judge is likely to pronounce the quantum of sentence on September 29.
Vedpal, 21, a resident of neighbouring village Mator, had married Sonia of Singhwal village against the wishes of villagers as they belonged to related gotras (sub-caste).
On July 22, 2009, when vedpal along with a police team came to Singhwal village to get custody of his wife Sonia, he was lynched.
The family of Vedpal had blamed "police inaction" for his death and said the youth had taken a court order for the custody of his wife of four months.
They had said he was accompanied by a Warrant Officer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and 15 Haryana policemen when he was attacked by residents of Singhwal village, about 165 kms from Chandigarh.
Denying allegations that Vedpal was left to the mercy of the mob, police had said that a crowd of nearly 400 people attacked the police party and Warrant Officer Suraj Bhan who were in different vehicles.
The crowd dragged Bhan out of the vehicle even as Pal panicked and tried to escape under the cover of darkness, but was surrounded and lynched by the villagers who were against his marriage, the officer had said.
The judgement was pronounced on Saturday.
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