Ex-STF chief booked for firing at ashram

ROHTAK: Five months after his acquittal in a dacoity and extortion case in Panipat, controversial Haryana police service officer and former head of state's special task force (STF) Ashok Sheoran, 43, was again found on the wrong side of law when he allegedly opened fire on people at Kheri Bura village of Bhiwani district.
Though no one was hurt in the incident, the police have booked him under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) of the IPC on Saturday on the complaint of the village panchayat.
Sheoran had gone to an ashram headed by Mahant Sureshanand located on the outskirts of Kheri Bura village on Friday evening. A police officer investigating the case said that Sheoran, who is a disciple of the Mahant, opened fire after the latter complained to him against the villagers. He fired thrice from his pistol, said the cop, but the 10-odd people, including members of the village panchayat present there escaped being injured.
Following this, the panchayat on Saturday lodged a complaint and the police booked the cop.
In March 2010, Sheoran was booked by the Panipat police for dacoity, robbery and criminal conspiracy along with eight members of the STF whom he had been heading as assistant superintendent of police (ASP) at that time.
Sheoran and all his former STF members were acquitted by a Panipat court in November 2012.
Sheoran was also accused of sheltering a hardened criminal at his official residence during his posting as DSP in Fatehabad in 2001.
Questions were also raised about his functioning when his service revolver reportedly went missing during an encounter and later the same weapon was used in the murder of Delhi police encounter specialist ACP Rajbir Singh.
Meanwhile, a villager said that Sheoran had apologized at a meeting of the panchayat on Sunday and the panchayat has decided to withdraw the complaint.
However, Dadri Sadar police station SHO Desraj Singh said that the police had no information about the compromise.