IAS officer shot at over ‘property dispute’

According to the police, IAS officer K C Saroj and his elder brother, Phool Chandra Saroj, a farmer, were locked in a family feud

An IAS officer, K C Saroj, posted in the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi, reportedly suffered a gunshot injury in a clash that was said to be the result of a feud between him and his elder brother at Pali Karanpur village in Sarai Inayat, on Sunday. Till Monday evening, no formal complaint was lodged.

According to the police, Saroj and his elder brother, Phool Chandra Saroj, a farmer, were locked in a family feud over property and there had been quarrels between them in the past. On Saturday, Saroj had requested the local police for security for visiting his ancestral village on Sunday to pick up some agricultural produce and other items. But before he reached there, Saroj reportedly sent some men on motorcycles and two tempos to Pali Karanpur, the police said.

"They picked up an argument with the Phool Chandra's men. While Phool Chandra left the place, the two parties got involved in fisticuffs. In the meantime, Saroj arrived in a vehicle with a blue beacon, along with his wife and two sons. As he got down and tried to intervene, he was apparently roughed up by members of the other party and later shot in the right leg," said Superintendent of Police (Trans-Ganga) Shafiq Ahmed.

The vehicle with the blue beacon was the personal car of Saroj's wife Vineeta, who lives in Ashok Nagar area along with her two sons. Saroj, a Director in the Ministry of Defence, visits his family every weekend.

"The officer's family claimed that Phool Chandra's men snatched Saroj's licenced revolver and shot in his leg from close range. The other party, however, claimed that the revolver went off accidentally. A ballistic examination alone would establish the fact," said Ahmed. Saroj was rushed to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital (SRN) where he was operated upon. "The bullet had cut off one of the main arteries below the right knee. He is stable but under observation," said a doctor.

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