The three musketeers of Haryana

RK Sharma, Chand Mohammad and SPS Rathore are neighbours in Panchkula

RK Sharma, Chand Mohammad and SPS Rathore are neighbours in Panchkula

The city beautiful has a notorious neighbourhood.

Famed as the district of the rich and the famous, Panchkula was living in the shadow of Chandigarh until three illustrious sons gave it national fame or should we say notoriety. Interestingly, all of them lived within a radius of a few hundred meters and their stories are all about sex, lies and blood except for one where betrayal replaced blood.



The first in the list is former IPS officer RK Sharma, serving a life term in the Tihar Central Prison of Delhi, for the murder of Indian Express journalist Shivani Bhatnagar. Pronouncing him guilty on March 24, 2008, a Delhi court stopped short of giving him death penalty due to the Inspector General rank officer's "excellent service record". Sharma, a 1976 batch IPS officer, hired three killers, and plotted the murder of Shivani in her east Delhi apartment on January 23, 1999. It was alleged that the senior officer had a long-time affair with the journalist.
RK Sharma lived in House No. 19, Sector 6, a sprawling bungalow with the nameplate reading "Govind Niwas".

The one-story property has a long driveway and a lawn in front.

The next in line is the former deputy chief minister of Haryana and son of the former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal -- Chander Mohan aka Chand Mohammad aka Chander Mohan.

Son of one of the 'Lal's' of Haryana -- the most powerful surname in state politics -- Chander Mohan had his eyes on the former additional solicitor general Anuradha Bali alias Fiza. After Mohan failed to get a divorce from his first wife, he converted to Islam and became Chand Mohammad to marry Bali who also followed her beloved to become Fiza in November 2008. The development kicked up a huge controversy. Chand's father Bhajan Lal, brother Kuldip Bishnoi and first wife Seema Bishnoi disowned him.

The great fall: (From top) Bhajan Lal's palatial house where Chand Mohammad used to live, former DGP Haryana SPS Rathore's house andu00a0 former top cop RK Sharma's house all in Panchkula.u00a0Pics/Surender Sharma

The couple appeared in the media with love in the air but soon cracks started appearing in their relationship and Chand did a vanishing act from Fiza's Mohali residence and resurfaced three months later in June 2009 vowing "renewed love". During this period Fiza went public airing her "hate" for Chand and was found short of a clear reply when his "love" returned. However, the sitting MLA from Kalka was denied the Congress ticket in the last general elections and the two yet again parted ways with Fiza appearing in the reality show "Is Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao".

Chander Mohan lived in house no 906 barely a kilometre away from the house of RK Sharma. The palatial house is owned by his father Bhajan Lal.

Last but not the least and also the latest is Shambhu Pratap Singh Rathore or SPS Rathore, the former Haryana Director General of Police. Accused of molesting and allegedly forcing a 19-year-old tennis player Ruchika Girhotra to commit suicide, Rathore was given a six-month prison term and a fine of Rs 1000. The judgement triggered outrage in civil society and media. Now, fresh FIRs are being filed in the case and investigations will be done again.

Rathore resides in Sector 6, the same area where Ruchika's family used to live. However, after the teenager committed suicide and Rathore used all kinds of tactics to force the family into withdrawing the case, the Girhotras sold their house and lived in Shimla and Kolkata before taking a rented accommodation in Sector 12A, Panchkula.

Rathore's bungalow in Sector 6 has an iron gate in the front leading into a small parking alongside the red brick two-storey structure with a car and scooter parked in front and two cars - one of them a vintage one - parked in the backyard when this correspondent visited the place.

Sectors 6 and 8 are considered the most posh pockets in Panchkula and houses various political leaders including, Om Prakash Chautala, Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal, bureaucrats from Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh and various former union government officials and army officials. Former Army Chief General VP Malik and former vice chief of army Lieutenant General Vijay Oberoi also lives in Sector 6.

Panchkula houses almost 70 per cent of offices of government of Haryana. Among the prominent ones, police headquarters is also stationed here. Officials here say, as Haryana's claim on Chandigarh stands 'lame' it was developed as de-facto capital by the Haryana government. "But it never attracted the attention within the country or on the world arena. But with these high profile controversies it is making headlines," said a city top cop.

Devalued

The Girhotras' house in Sector 6 was sold by the family in 1994 for Rs 18 lakh. The present market value of the house, where construction work is on, is estimated to be Rs 4 crore. The house stands barely 200 metres away from SPS Rathore's house.