CHANDIGARH: A wrestler, 27, was allegedly shot dead in Punjab's Kapurthala town while bursting firecrackers outside his house on Diwali night, police said, abruptly cutting short a family's celebrations and reportedly causing panic in the neighbourhood.
The man was identified as Mani, who went by the name Pehalwan, a resident of Mohalla Mehtabgarh. Police said a call about firing came in around 7.30 pm and a team was sent to the spot at once. According to the accounts, at least one bullet hit him in the chest and he collapsed.
Accounts differed on when the shooting took place, with some placing it on Sunday evening and others on Monday night. They also diverged on whether he died where he fell or was declared dead at hospital: one quoted a senior police officer as saying the end came instantly, while others said relatives took him to the Civil Hospital in Kapurthala, where doctors pronounced him brought dead.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Shital Singh said two groups were at odds and that the intended target was the dead man's neighbour. That version differs from the family's, which maintains the young man had no quarrel with anyone.
Mani's father Bagga said his son, who had married only months earlier, was not at odds with anybody. According to the family's account, he was lighting crackers outside the house when a group of youths turned up and opened fire. His father described the newlywed as a wrestler with no known disputes.
Mani had married a woman from Begowal a few months ago, with one report putting the wedding at roughly six months back. He is survived by his parents and four sisters. His father's condition at the hospital was described as grief-stricken.
Police said a case has been registered and multiple teams formed to trace and arrest the accused, none of whom has been named so far and no arrest has been reported yet. In a public post, Kapurthala police said the search for the accused was under way and that they would be arrested soon. Statements of family members were being recorded, and investigators were trying to establish the motive.
The deputy superintendent reached the spot along with a police team after receiving information about the firing and confirmed that the youth had died after being shot. Police said the killing caused panic in the area, that further legal steps would follow the family's statements, and that their inquiry was continuing.
(With inputs from media reports)