Ponty Chadha murder case: Namdhari's gunner suspended

Sacked Uttarakhand Minorities Commission chief Sukhdev Singh Namdhari's gunner Sachin Tyagi, whose name cropped up in connection with Ponty Chadha murder case, has been suspended, a senior police official said on Thursday.

"Tyagi has been placed under suspension on the basis of information provided by Delhi Police crime branch under whose custody he is at present," SSP Udhamsinghnagar district Anant Shankar Takwale said.

Tyagi was at Chattarpur farmhouse along with Namdhari at the time of the shootout in which liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep were killed. He had allegedly told interrogators that he fired a few shots during the crossfire to defend the sacked minority panel chief, also under Delhi police custody in connection with the case.

A constable of Uttarakhand police, Tyagi hails from Haridwar and was posted as Namdhari's gunner since December 30, 2010. He had been removed from Namdhari's security on January 29 this year but was redeployed after a government order on February 2.