IFFCO chairman killed as his pistol goes off accidentally

Surinder Kumar Jhakar, IFFCO chairman and son of former Madhya Pradesh governor Balram Jhakar, was killed on Monday when his pistol went off accidentally while he was cleaning it at his farmhouse at Abhor in Ferozpur district of Punjab.

Jakhar, 56, was fatally wounded while cleaning his pistol, Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Ferozpur Surjit Singh told PTI.

Investigations showed the pistol went off accidentally at his farmhouse, some 125-km from Ferozepur, and there was no foul play, he said.

Surinder Jakhar's family, in a statement to the police, said he was killed in an accidental fire from his pistol at his farmhouse in Maujgarh village, SP (Abohar) Varinder Brar said. The family had requested the police that it did not want any action in the matter as the death was accidental, he said. The bullet had hit Surinder on his temple.

Soon after receiving the gunshot wound, Surinder was rushed to hospital, where he was declared brought dead, family members said.

A senior police officer told PTI in Chandigarh that Surinder received injuries while cleaning his licensed weapon. Surinder, the second of the three sons of senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar, is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. He was involved with the cooperative movement for nearly three decades.

The body of Surinder had been handed over to the family after post mortem. He would be cremated at Panchkosi, the native village of Jakhar family, near Abohar on Tuesday. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh have condoled the death of Surinder.