In an alleged case of road rage reported from the national capital, a 21-year-old Sikh youth was killed, while his friend is battling for life, for objecting to a man for smoking in public. Following the altercation, the accused, a law student, allegedly rammed his car into their motorcycle.
The incident took place on Sunday in south Delhi when Gurpreet Singh (21) and his friend Maninder Singh (22), both students of photography, were shooting a documentary on pavement dwellers.
Late at night, after finishing their work, the two decided to eat something at a food joint near Safdarjung Hospital’s casualty ward.
A man, later identified as Rohit Krishan Mahanta, stood next to them and started smoking. The accused was reportedly in an intoxicated state.
According to an eyewitness, the two objected to Rohit blowing smoke on their faces and asked him not to smoke in public. The altercation soon turned violent, following which the locals asked Gurpreet and Maninder to leave the place.
No sooner had the two left on their motorcycle that Mahanta followed them in his Ford Figo and rammed the bike from behind, and then managed to flee the spot.
Locals there called the police and took the duo to the AIIMS trauma centre, where Gurpreet succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
Police booked the accused, a resident of Defence Colony, and arrested him, but later released him on bail. But after Gurpreet’s death, the police again arrested Mahanta and booked him under charges of murder.
He was produced in a local court and sent to one-day police remand.
Gurpreet's family has launched a social media campaign, alleging that it was not an accident but attempt to murder. Police said the accused passed out of Jindal Law University in 2015 and is presently pracitising law as a standing counsel for Assam government.
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