Celebratory firing by drunk baraati kills dancer in Bathinda

Gurdeep Mann

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 4

Kulwinder Kaur, a 24-year-old orchestra dancer married barely 15 months ago, was shot dead during celebratory firing by a drunk baraati — believed to be the  son of a commission agent — at a marriage hall in Maur Mandi late last night, with a bullet piercing her right temple.

A wailing Bittu Kumar, the deceased’s husband and a sound artiste, said he saw a man pull the trigger and the gun falling from his hands. 

A three-minute video of the function shows Kulwinder joining her colleagues on stage barely a minute before being shot.

Kulwinder’s relatives, who rushed to Maur Mandi, were told by the police that the body had been shifted to a Talwandi Sabo hospital. “When we reached Talwandi Sabo, we were told the body was at Maur hospital. We returned to Maur only to be told the body was lying at the Bathinda Civil Hospital,” said a bewildered Bittu.

Alleging harassment, he said the police had yet to arrest the accused person. “They claim they are too busy making security arrangements ahead of the ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ and for the Deputy CM's visit,” he said.

Angry with the police, the deceased’s relatives blocked the Bathinda-Goniana road outside the Bathinda Civil Hospital for an hour. Local orchestra groups too held a protest.

A case has been registered.