GURUGRAM: A former municipal councilor has been sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by a local court for instigating a mob that attacked a team of police and government officials with petrol bombs and stones in 2015 following an anti-encroachment drive.
Nisha Singh is among 17 people convicted for the attack Jhimar Basti In Jharsa (Sector 47) – 10 women, who were given rigorous imprisonment for seven years, and eight men, who were given 10 years in jail.
Apart from Singh, all others who have been convicted are villagers.
From corporate job to politics, now in jail
Nisha Singh, a former municipal councilor who was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for inciting a mob, was thirty when she left her corporate job to enter politics. He contested the municipal elections Gurugram (MCG) held elections in 2011 as an independent and was elected councilor from Ward No. 30. She later joined the Aam Aadmi Party. Singh served as a councilor till 2016.
After clashes on May 15, 2015, Singh was arrested along with 18 others on charges of rioting and attempt to murder. All of them were out on bail till Thursday, when the court of Additional Sessions Judge Mona Singh convicted them. Two of the accused died during the trial. On Thursday, the former councilor and 16 others were sent to Bhondsi jail. The court, however, dismissed the charge of attempt to murder against him for want of evidence.
Citing the case diary, Public Prosecutor Pradeep Kumar said that on May 15, 2015, a team of HSVP (formerly HUDA) workers reached Jhimar Basti in Jharsa to clear the debris from the demolition drive carried out a month earlier. The prosecution said that when the HSVP team reached the spot, it found that the encroachers were being instigated by Singh. As the team reached the village – accompanied by policemen – the mob threatened to attack them and threw stones at the police and the HSVP team. At one point, they also hurled petrol bombs and small LPG cylinders, which caught fire. The duty magistrate and 15 other policemen received injuries. A nearby hut and an auto rickshaw were also set ablaze. While fire tenders brought the fire under control, the police had to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Kumar argued that a team of HSVP workers and police reached the spot following a government order and tried to reason with the crowd, but to no avail. The HSVP had removed the encroachment from 17 acres of land on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to construct an approach road for the housing society.
Singh’s lawyer Ashok Verma argued that she was not present when the stone-pelting started and she reached the spot after 30 minutes. Verma said Singh was only making a video of the fight between the villagers and the police and he too had suffered injuries.
After hearing both the sides, the Additional Sessions Judge observed that there was unlawful assembly and the attack was done with the common intention to injure the police and the HSVP officials. “The intent of the convicts who committed the crime was evident from the fact that they opted to use explosives and petrol bombs to deter the officers and tried to obstruct the discharge of their official duties. The convicts are healthy and hearty. Few on the basis of which it can be held that there are some mitigating circumstances on the basis of which the Court takes a liberal view.”
Singh and others were convicted under sections 148 and 149 (rioting), 186 (preventing a public servant from discharge of duty), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 352 (assault or criminal force) and 436. IPC Singh was also convicted under IPC section 114 (abetment to appearance when offence occurs). Seven accused Budhram, Ashok, Sonu, Chand Ram, Tejpal, Sandeep and Anil were also convicted under the Explosive Substances Act and fined Rs 20,000 each. Others were fined Rs 10,000 each.
After pursuing engineering from Mumbai University, Singh studied MBA (Finance) from London Business School. Six months after completing her course, she returned to India and joined Google. He also worked with Siemens for some time before making a career in politics.
Nisha Singh is among 17 people convicted for the attack Jhimar Basti In Jharsa (Sector 47) – 10 women, who were given rigorous imprisonment for seven years, and eight men, who were given 10 years in jail.
Apart from Singh, all others who have been convicted are villagers.
From corporate job to politics, now in jail
Nisha Singh, a former municipal councilor who was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for inciting a mob, was thirty when she left her corporate job to enter politics. He contested the municipal elections Gurugram (MCG) held elections in 2011 as an independent and was elected councilor from Ward No. 30. She later joined the Aam Aadmi Party. Singh served as a councilor till 2016.
After clashes on May 15, 2015, Singh was arrested along with 18 others on charges of rioting and attempt to murder. All of them were out on bail till Thursday, when the court of Additional Sessions Judge Mona Singh convicted them. Two of the accused died during the trial. On Thursday, the former councilor and 16 others were sent to Bhondsi jail. The court, however, dismissed the charge of attempt to murder against him for want of evidence.
Citing the case diary, Public Prosecutor Pradeep Kumar said that on May 15, 2015, a team of HSVP (formerly HUDA) workers reached Jhimar Basti in Jharsa to clear the debris from the demolition drive carried out a month earlier. The prosecution said that when the HSVP team reached the spot, it found that the encroachers were being instigated by Singh. As the team reached the village – accompanied by policemen – the mob threatened to attack them and threw stones at the police and the HSVP team. At one point, they also hurled petrol bombs and small LPG cylinders, which caught fire. The duty magistrate and 15 other policemen received injuries. A nearby hut and an auto rickshaw were also set ablaze. While fire tenders brought the fire under control, the police had to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Kumar argued that a team of HSVP workers and police reached the spot following a government order and tried to reason with the crowd, but to no avail. The HSVP had removed the encroachment from 17 acres of land on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to construct an approach road for the housing society.
Singh’s lawyer Ashok Verma argued that she was not present when the stone-pelting started and she reached the spot after 30 minutes. Verma said Singh was only making a video of the fight between the villagers and the police and he too had suffered injuries.
After hearing both the sides, the Additional Sessions Judge observed that there was unlawful assembly and the attack was done with the common intention to injure the police and the HSVP officials. “The intent of the convicts who committed the crime was evident from the fact that they opted to use explosives and petrol bombs to deter the officers and tried to obstruct the discharge of their official duties. The convicts are healthy and hearty. Few on the basis of which it can be held that there are some mitigating circumstances on the basis of which the Court takes a liberal view.”
Singh and others were convicted under sections 148 and 149 (rioting), 186 (preventing a public servant from discharge of duty), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 352 (assault or criminal force) and 436. IPC Singh was also convicted under IPC section 114 (abetment to appearance when offence occurs). Seven accused Budhram, Ashok, Sonu, Chand Ram, Tejpal, Sandeep and Anil were also convicted under the Explosive Substances Act and fined Rs 20,000 each. Others were fined Rs 10,000 each.
After pursuing engineering from Mumbai University, Singh studied MBA (Finance) from London Business School. Six months after completing her course, she returned to India and joined Google. He also worked with Siemens for some time before making a career in politics.