Chandigarh, Oct 11: The Punjab Police Thursday claimed to have solved a 10-year-old murder case of a columnist-cum-politician in Patiala with the arrest of two persons.

Darbara Singh Seona, a Punjabi columnist and the general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal, was shot dead on September 12, 2008, by unknown assailants. A case was registered at Civil Lines Police Station in Patiala city in this regard.

During investigation it was found that the motive behind the killing was a family dispute, said Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, the IGP (Intelligence) at the Organized Crime Control Unit (OCCU) of the Punjab Police.

Since Seona had written a controversial article in a vernacular newspaper, prior investigations suspected the involvement of some radical elements in his killing, he said.

He said two persons were arrested in the case Thursday. They were identified as Daljit Singh of Patiala and Pushpinder Singh of Jind in Haryana.

After an intensive questioning, both of them confessed to the crime and revealed the names of other men involved in the crime.

Both the accused have a past criminal record, he said.

Kunwar said further investigation in this case was on and efforts were being made to nab the other accused.

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Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.

Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.

Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.

According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.

He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.

He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.

Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.

He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.

Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.

He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.