Ludhiana: Demonstrators held up traffic in one of the city’s busiest transport hubs on Sunday, accusing police of failing to capture a convicted rapist who allegedly murdered a 9-year-old boy after escaping custody two months ago. The blockade at the Jalandhar Bypass, a critical artery for commuters and long-distance buses, highlighted growing public fury over the perceived disparity in how law enforcement handles cases involving the poor versus the influential. For more than an hour, relatives of the deceased child and local residents blocked traffic, forcing hundreds of passengers to abandon buses and travel on foot.Protesters raised slogans against the Ludhiana police, alleging that two months of assurances had yielded no progress in the manhunt for the accused, Ajay Kumar. One protester noted that had the victim been the child of someone influential, an arrest would have been made within days, but the voices of the poor are often ignored.Senior police officers and personnel from the Salem Tabri station eventually arrived to negotiate with the crowd. The blockade was lifted only after officials provided a fresh guarantee that the fugitive would be apprehended as early as possible. Additional deputy commissioner of police Sameer Verma has stated that specialised teams have conducted raids across Punjab and at the suspect’s native residence in Uttar Pradesh, though police sources admit the trail has grown cold. Tracking Kumar has proven exceptionally difficult because he has avoided using mobile phones or contacting known associates since his escape.The timeline of events began on Feb 2, when Ajay Kumar — already convicted of raping a minor — escaped police custody while being transported from Ludhiana Borstal Jail to a civil hospital for a medical exam. Three days later, a 9-year-old boy from Kumar’s village was reported missing. Prosecutors allege Kumar abducted and killed the child that same day, dumping the body in nearby bushes.Following an intense protest by the family outside the police station, the child’s body was discovered on Feb. 7 with his throat slit. In an effort to expedite the capture of the fugitive, Salem Tabri police have announced a ₹20,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of Ajay Kumar.
