DW BUREAU / sirsa Two liquor contractors were shot dead allegedly by a group of three to four armed assailants outside a vend in Haryana's Sirsa district, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Monday evening near village Chautala close to the Rajasthan border. The assailants came to a dhaba near the liquor vend on motorcycles and opened fire at the victims who were present close by. The victims were identified as Mukesh and Jai Prakash. Over thirty rounds of fire were opened at them and they were declared "brought dead" after being rushed to a nearby hospital on Monday night, police said. Police said a case has been registered and further investigations were on. Police are probing rivalry angle as the two contractors were into the liquor trade. A Police Department spokesperson said in Chandigrah that a manhunt has been launched to arrest the culprit. "We have some clues, but we would not like to comment on these right now. Our first priority is to arrest the killers," said a police official, who did not wish to be identified. Meanwhile, Dr Ashok Tanwar, former Congress leader, who also respresented Sirsa Lok Sabha seat in the past, said that there is now law and order in the state. "Things have worsened beoyond repair so far as the law and order situation is concerned," said Dr Tanwar. Haryana ranks third (next only to Kerala, Delhi) as regards crime rate across all states and union territories, says the recent report of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Crime rate means the number of crime cases per lakh of population. Offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), special and local laws are taken into account for calculating the crime rate. Kerala recorded a crime rate of 1,818.4 in 2017. (editor@dailyworld.in)