74-year-old Indian-American man arrested for killing daughter-in-law in US
San Francisco (PTI): A 74-year-old Indian-American man has been arrested in the US state of California, for fatally shooting his daughter-in-law at a parking lot possibly out of anger over her plans to divorce his son, according to a media report.
Sital Singh Dosanjh killed his daughter-in-law Gurpreet Kaur Dosanjh last week in the South San Jose parking lot of the Walmart where she worked, the East Bay Times reported.
A police investigation that led to the arrest of Sital revealed that the victim was on the phone on Friday telling her uncle about her fear that Sital was looking for her, it said.
She also reportedly told her uncle that she saw Sital driving in the lot, indicating that he travelled 150 miles (241 kms) to find her, the report added.
The uncle told police that her niece sounded frightened and that Sital was approaching her car, where she was taking a break from work.
That was the last thing the uncle said he heard before the phone call disconnected. Five hours later, a Walmart co-worker discovered Gurpreet's body in the same lot, in the same car, suffering from at least two gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene, the report added.
According to the police summary, Gurpreet's uncle told investigators that his niece was in the process of divorcing (the) suspect's son, and that the husband and his father lived in Fresno. Gurpreet lived in San Jose, according to the investigation.
As homicide detectives and other officers were investigating the shooting, the victim's uncle, who was the last person to hear his niece alive, drove from the Central Valley and arrived at the crime scene. Police said he helped investigators formally identify Sital Dosanjh as the likely suspect.
The next morning, Sital was arrested at his home in Fresno. During a search of the residence, police seized a .22-caliber Beretta pistol, according to a police investigative summary accompanying a murder charge filed Wednesday by Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
Sital was transported to the Main Jail in San Jose, where he has been held without bail. During his arraignment in a San Jose courtroom Wednesday, he was clad in a red jumpsuit reserved for high-security inmates, had a blue surgical mask over his face and did not speak. He did not enter a plea and was ordered to return to court on November 14.
Detectives found that surveillance video showed that Sital's black Silverado pickup truck was seen entering the parking lot, driving up near his daughter-in-law's car, and then leaving the lot.
The detectives also determined that license plate reading cameras in Gilroy, surveillance cameras on Pacheco Pass, and Sital Dosanjh's cell phone records charted his drive back to Fresno over the next few hours.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
