New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) A day after the fatal stabbing of a Delhi Police constable, the main accused in the case was shot dead in an encounter by the police in south Delhi's Sangam Vihar area, officials said on Sunday.
Constable Kiran Pal was attacked by three people on Saturday while on night patrol in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri area.
Two of the accused -- Deepak Max and Krish Gupta -- were arrested later that day. The third accused, Raghav, who stabbed Pal with a knife, was hiding in Sangam Vihar, a senior police officer of Special Cell said.
Acting on specific information, teams of New Delhi Range (NDR) of the Special Cell and Narcotics Cell of South East District, went to the area connecting Sangam Vihar and Surajkund Road late on Saturday night, the officer said.
The accused was located and asked to surrender. He, however, opened fire at the police personnel who retaliated in self-defence and injured the accused.
"He was immediately taken to the ESIC Hospital, Okhla, where he died," the officer said.
A pistol and two cartridges had been seized, the police officer said, adding no police official was injured in the encounter.
Constable Kiran Pal, posted at Govindpuri Police Station, was on night patrol duty when he stopped three people riding a scooty in the early hours of Saturday.
The accused threw stones at the constable to evade arrest but he managed to waylay them by putting his bike in front of their vehicle, the officer said.
The constable also took away the keys of their vehicle and started questioning the trio during which the accused stabbed him, the officer added.
Constable Kiran Pal was cremated on Sunday with state honours. Among those present during the final rites were scores of Delhi Police officials led by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora.
The Delhi Police in a post on social media platform X said, "A Heartfelt Tribute to our brave Constable Kiran Pal, who made supreme sacrifice demonstrating immense courage and commitment while carrying out his duties at Govind Puri Police Station. All Delhi Police strongly stands with the grieved family".
According to the family members of Kiran Pal, he was the sole breadwinner of his family and was taking care of his 65-year-old mother and disabled brother who lived in a village in Bulandshahr.
Pal held a Master's degree in English and chose to work with the Delhi Police. His uncle Kalicharan said he was preparing for a better position and had worked hard for the job.
His family demanded strict action against all the accused.