18-yr-old shot at near Puranpur Gate

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, April 16

An 18-year-old boy was shot at by three bike-borne persons near the Puranpur Gate at Talhan in Jalandhar on Saturday. This incident is the freshest addition to the growing list of violent crimes which have been rocking the city almost every day.

Recent cases

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• March 14: Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambiyan was shot dead in broad daylight during an ongoing Kabaddi match at a stadium in Nakodar
• March 21: Armed miscreants barged into a home in Boota Mandi with sharp weapons and grievously injured a man and his mother. The armed assailants also vandalised their property
• March 24: A man shot himself and committed suicide with his licenced gun
• April 14: Five unidentified youths opened fire on a 31-year-old man of Tobri Mohalla, at Gopal Nagar. He who was going back home with his wife and a 3-year-old daughter on his bike. The miscreants fled in their Honda Amaze car.

Cops’ inaction alleged

• There have also been a number of incidents in the periphery, where residents have repeatedly said that cops haven’t been responding. This also includes an immolation bid in Kapurthala on Friday evening by a man who was sick of police inaction. In Jalandhar, a youth from the Vinay Nagar area also allegedly consumed a poisonous substance and went live on social media. Another youth, Gagan, alleged that the police were not cooperating with him in his complaint related to a property dispute.
• These incidents don’t include the incidents of violence against women and rapes, which have also seen a dramatic rise.

Bhuwaneshwar had a fight with some of his friends about a month ago. They were the same friends who shot at him to take revenge on Saturday. The victim is being treated at the hospital and is out of danger. The names and identities of the shooters is not clear so far. We only know that they belong to Jalandhar city. Investigation in the case is on and the police are on the lookout for the accused. — SHO at Patara police station

Victim Bhuwaneshwar was returning after picking up his brother from school. The incident took place around 12 noon. The 18-year-old was shot at by three youth, who were on a bike. The victim’s 14-year-old brother and his friend were also with him on the same bike. The police said no one else was injured in the incident.

The incident is another demonstration of the impact of gun culture on the minds of young people as incidents of violence are permeating to school fights and disputes among school and college-going children.

Bhuwaneshwar received a shot on his upper thigh and was admitted to a hospital shortly afterwards.

An FIR under Section 307 of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act has been registered.

The SHO at Patara police station said: “Bhuwaneshwar had a fight with some of his friends about a month ago. They were the same friends who shot at him to take revenge on Saturday. The victim is being treated at the hospital and is out of danger. The names and identities of the shooters is not clear so far. We only know that they belong to Jalandhar city. Investigation in the case is on and the police are on the lookout for the accused.”

Notably, with Friday being the only exception, incidents of guns going off or people being hurt in gang wars or due to internal disputes has become common in the district.