Eight Get Life Imprisonment For Highway Shootout In MP's Morena

Morena (Madhya Pradesh): A special court here sentenced eight persons to life imprisonment for a highway shooting that took place six years ago. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on each.

The shootout resulted in death of Panchayat and Rural Development Department employee Shivcharan Shakya and left several others injured, including development works investigator Jagannath Singh Sikarwar.

The violent confrontation stemmed from a dispute regarding development works linked to sarpanch, Kallu alias Ram Kishore in Nandpura village.

On the evening of August 7, 2019, employees of Jaura Janpad Panchayat, Shivcharan Shakya and Jagannath Singh Sikarwar, were travelling in a luxury vehicle driven by Saurabh Singh Sikarwar on national highway. As they passed Bilgaon police station, two luxury vehicles blocked their path and opened fire. The accused chased victim’s vehicle for 18 kilometres and kept on shooting, terrifying people on the road.

Due to the shooting, Shivcharan Shakya, along with others, sustained injuries. The vehicle reached Morena District Hospital, where Shakya was tragically declared dead.

Following the incident, Subhash lodged a complaint, leading Jaura police to register a case of murder and attempted murder against multiple suspects, including Ramkishore and others.

Those given life imprisonment were Ramkishore, Pradeep, Shivraj, Surendra, Rajesh, Ravi, Ramu, Somendra.

While three accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence, one suspect Neeraj is still absconding. After the verdict, all the accused were sent to jail.