SHIMLA: A 21-year old man was hacked to death using an unspecified sharp weapon on Monday morning in the heart of Shimla, right opposite a police reporting room. The victim, named Manish, hailed from Kothi village in Kupvi tehsil and had been working at an eatery in Shimla. On Monday, around 02:00, the accused, identified as Satinder Pal, entered Manish's accomadation on Mall Road and attacked him with the aforementioned weapon. 

After the attack, Manish rushed to the police reporting room. In order to get the police's attention, Manish reportedly broke the glass of the control room door with the same weapon that was used to attack him. 

Subsequently, the police rushed him to the Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. 

A case of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the accused Satinder Pal. The accused, who used to work in another restaurant, reportedly fled towards Chandigarh and a team has been sent to chase him down. 

Questions raised over law and order situation

The killing has stirred a heated discussion in the state assembly, with the BJP-led opposition raising accusations at the treasury bench for poor law and order. 

BJP legislators raised the issue of murder in the Vidhan Sabha through a point of order.

Manish was brutally cut and murdered near a police reporting room in state capital Shimla, which is also a major tourist destination, and the police were sleeping, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said.

He said while police are tapping phones and tracing locations of MLAs, the accused managed to slip from under their nose.

Congress MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma has received threats, a former Congress MLA from Bilaspur was attacked, and there is a serious law and order situation in the state, he said.

Parliamentary affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said that the government is aware of the incident and will take care of the matter.

He also said Sudhir Sharma is in the house and Jai Ram Thakur can't be his spokesperson.

Sharma, in his turn, said he had a discussion with the Chief Minister and the Director General of Police in connection with the threat call and the government is taking the matter seriously.

The BJP MLA from Chopal, Balbir Verma, said since the murder, people in "large numbers" have arrived in Shimla from Kupvi and they are not allowing police the custody of his body till the murderer is arrested.

The accused went to Kasumpti, then the bus stand, and crossed the Himachal border and police are yet to catch him, he added.

Congress MLA from Shimla (Urban) Harsih Janartha informed the house that the culprit has been identified, the CCTV footage is with the police, and three teams have been sent to nab him.

With inputs from PTI.