Midnight brawl turns fatal, claims one life

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, October 21

A midnight brawl between two groups over the possession of a shop in a temporary cracker market in Dana Mandi, Salem Tabri, turned violent when a person died in the incident.

The clashing groups of shopkeepers and their supporters indulged in a scuffle, which took a violent turn in which a person was stabbed with a sharp weapon.

According to eyewitnesses, the culprits managed to escape from the scene, while the injured kept lying at the spot for over half-an-hour, when some other shopkeepers took him to a nearby hospital. The victim with multiple stab wounds was declared brought dead at the arrival in Civil Hospital. He was identified as Vijay Sidhu, alias Chhota Lalla, a history-sheeter with several criminal cases under Sections 307 of the IPC, Arms Act and NDPS Act registered against him.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police - I Gurpeet Singh, along with the police force from Salem Tabri police station rushed to the spot and carried out preliminary investigation. A posse of police was deployed at the cracker market immediately after the incident and tight security arrangements continued today as well to ensure that there was no tension or aftermath of the violence.

The police said as per the report lodged by victim’s wife, one Vishal Kumar, his brother Sagar and mother Sunita Rani had attacked Vijay after heated exchange of words and Vishal, along with some other unidentified persons, stabbed the victim with a long blade used for cutting tape of cracker packages.

In a cross-complaint, the family members of accused Vishal Kumar alleged that the victim was into an extortion racket and was demanding protection money for running cracker business.

ADCP – 1 Gurpreet Singh said a case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered for the time being against three accused and some other unidentified persons and the police were carrying out further investigation.

The temporary cracker market with 13 shops in Dana Mandi at Salem Tabri had opened only on Saturday (October 19) after the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate granted licenses to 37 persons for the sale of crackers at seven designated places in different parts of the city.