The Tribune, January 6, 2004

Butana shootout: Second victim succumbs to injuries
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, January 5
The second victim of Butana village shootout, Baljit, also succumbed to injuries in the PGIMS, Rohtak, while being operated. His body was brought to the village and cremated last evening. The police, on the other hand, have failed to nab the alleged accused. However, the police have beefed up the security of the families of Prithvi Singh and Chhotu Ram by deploying a police party under the command of an Assistant Sub-Inspector.

It may be recalled that in the shootout on Saturday morning by armed gangsters, one Jasbir was shot dead on the spot and Baljit was injured seriously and admitted in the PGIMS, Rohtak. The enmity between the families of Prithvi Singh, Chhotu Ram and Hukam Singh of the same village had already resulted in the death of four persons. Two sons of Hukam Singh-Sanjay and Krishan, who were convicted in a criminal case and were absconding, were alleged to be behind the murders. It is also worth mentioning that before 1995, the families of the former sarpanch, Prithvi Singh and Hukam Singh had close friendship and even made common land deals. However, after the murder of one Azad, son of Om Singh, in the village in 1995, both the families fell apart. Hukum Singh’s sons, Sanjay, Krishan and Prakash were found involved in the murder and were convicted by the court. Hukam Singh suspected the hand of Prithvi Singh in involving his sons in this murder. Subsequently, the friendship changed into enmity between the two families.

According to information, Krishan was released on parole, but did not report back to the jail. Similarly, Sanjay also managed to escape from the police custody near village Mohana on the Gohana-Sonepat Road while he was being taken for the hearing of the case. Subsequently, Anil, the son of Prithvi, was murdered on March 24, 2003, near a canal on the Butana-Gangana Road. Dalbir, son of Chhotu, the younger brother of Prithvi Singh, was murdered on May 27, 2003, in the village. Finally, Jasbir and Baljit were eliminated on January 3, 2004.