Rohtak: A court in Haryana’s Rohtak district on Wednesday convicted former INLD MLA Balbir Singh alias Bali Pehalwan and six others for the 2011 murder of a man during a violent clash at a grain market in Kalanaur.Bali Pehalwan is a two-time legislator from Meham constituency.Arguments on the quantum of sentencing are scheduled for Thursday.On May 6, 2011, Vishnu, a local resident, was shot dead and several others were injured during a confrontation between two groups.A case was registered at Kalanaur police station on the complaint of Sitaram Rathi, Vishnu’s brother-in-law and former sarpanch of Basana village. The FIR named 19 people, including Bali Pehalwan, and invoked charges related to murder, attempt to murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy and offences under the Arms Act.Two versions emerged regarding the cause of the dispute. One of the accounts said some associates of Bali Pehalwan had gone to the market to collect animal fodder or donations, where an argument broke out with Rathi, who was also an arhtiya (commission agent). The second version alleged Bali’s associates had demanded Rs 5 lakh as protection money, leading to the confrontation.The case had drawn attention when residents and armed supporters in Bali Pehalwan’s native village of Mokhra attempted to block police from arresting him. He eventually surrendered on May 27, 2011, and spent approximately seven years in custody before being granted bail.Of the 19 accused originally named, six of them died during the trial. Six of the accused were acquitted after the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence against them. The prosecution presented 51 witnesses, including injured eyewitnesses.Additional district and sessions judge Kapil Rathi pronounced the verdict in the 15-year-old murder case. The other six convicts are identified as Sunil Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, Rajesh, Pawan, Sunil and Mukesh, all residents of Mokhra village.
