UNA: A man and his wife were killed after their neighbour allegedly ran them over with his Thar SUV following an argument over bursting firecrackers on Diwali night in Badoli village of Himachal Pradesh’s Una district.The victims have been identified as Onkar Singh and his wife, Veena Devi.According to the deceased’s family members, Jarnail Singh, the accused and a neighbour of the victims, had objected to the bursting of firecrackers, triggering an argument between the two families.The heated exchange escalated into a scuffle. The families reportedly had a history of disputes. An enraged Jarnail Singh then went back to his house and returned in his Thar SUV, a police officer said.In his complaint, Ajmer Singh, father of Onkar Singh, alleged that his family members were celebrating Diwali when Jarnail Singh arrived in his SUV at around 9.30 pm and ran over his son. The accused allegedly reversed the vehicle and then ran over Veena Devi.Ajmer Singh and his wife were also injured when they tried to stop Jarnail Singh.Onkar and Veena, who had sustained serious injuries, were taken to the government regional hospital in Una, around 10 km from Badoli. However, both succumbed to their injuries.Jarnail Singh, who was also injured, was initially taken to the regional hospital in Una. Doctors later referred him to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.In a separate complaint, the accused’s son alleged that Onkar Singh and his family members had attacked them with a darat (sickle), leaving both his father and him injured.Una SP Sachin Hiremath said preliminary investigations indicated that the two families had differences in the past.“As per the complaint, the accused, Jarnail Singh, ran his Thar over both the victims, resulting in their deaths. A murder case has been registered under Section 103 of the BNS against Jarnail Singh. Further investigations in the case are on,” said Hiremath.“Some juveniles are also named in the FIR, and action is being taken against them under the Juvenile Justice Act,” said the SP, who also visited the crime spot.A forensic team collected samples from the crime scene on Monday, while police tightened security in Badoli village amid tension following the double murder.Police also sealed Jarnail Singh’s old vehicle dealership garage in Una, where he had allegedly parked his Thar after the incident on Sunday night.
