On the night of 31st of December, 2023 as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Punjab, Dalbir Singh Deol, a weightlifter and an Arjuna awardee posted with the Punjab Armed Police, was accidentally shot dead after he took an auto from Jalandhar bus stand to to his home at Khojewal village, around 14.5 km away.
When questioned by True To Life on Friday, Commissioner of Police of Jalandar, Swapan Sharma, affirmed, “The incident was not intentional, it was purely accidental in nature.”
While traveling to his hometown, a dispute arose between the DSP and the auto driver, named Vijay Kumar, a local from Jalandar, regarding Deol’s desired drop-off point. According to authorities, Kumar, who resided in a former police inspector’s rented residence, gained possession of Deol’s Glock 9 mm service pistol during the altercation and tragically used it to fatally shoot the DSP.
In the early hours of January 1, DSP Deol’s body was discovered near a canal in Jalandhar’s Basti Bawa Khel area. Subsequent to the tragic incident, law enforcement initiated a wide-ranging manhunt to apprehend the perpetrator. Utilizing advanced technical surveillance methods, they meticulously analyzed mobile phone data from devices active in the vicinity during the time of the murder, intensifying efforts to nab the culprit.
What was initially thought to be a blind murder, has now been declared as accidental death, and the FIR has been booked for the same.
The Commissioner further confirmed Kumar’s recent arrest, a culmination of ongoing investigations. Six years prior, Kumar confronted assault charges, ultimately dropped when the complainant opted against pursuing the case further. Shedding light on DSP Deol’s circumstances, Sharma revealed Deol resorted to an auto due to a recent vehicular accident. The developments underscored Kumar’s past entanglements with the law, juxtaposed against Deol’s predicament, painting a picture of varied situations within the realm of law enforcement.
According to an official statement, Jugal Kishore, a fellow officer heading home post-duty, was the first to discover the DSP’s body and promptly informed others. One of his legs was found crushed along with a severe injury to his head, as the bullet pierced in and killed him in an instant. Law enforcement not only located but also secured the weapon central to the incident, marking a critical step in the ongoing investigation surrounding the unfortunate event involving the DSP.
Some time back, he grappled with the tragic loss of his mother and sister in a road accident, compounded by his father’s passing roughly five years ago. Surviving him are his wife and two sons, aged 25 and 10, the elder son facing physical challenges. DSP Deol, stationed in Sangrur, often returned home on weekends. His journey to Jalandhar on December 31 was in pursuit of certain responsibilities.
The accused, according to the police, is a drug addict and had been booked in a case of assault six years ago. During the investigation, he admitted killing the DSP, also a former athelete, with his Glock 9 mm service revolver.
Sources : Indian Express, NDTV
By Soujanya Das Roy
From Kolkata
Reporting from True To Life