P’KULA YOUTH BOOKED FOR ZIRAKPUR FIRING

MOHALI : A day after a man was injured after some youths opened fire near a park at Lohgarh village in Zirakpur, police have identified the main suspect, who is yet to be arrested.

“The main suspect has been identified as Vivek Bhardwaj, a resident of Sector 19, Panchkula. A police team raided his house on Sunday, but it was found locked. He claims to be an online journalist, and is facing several cases, including rape,” said Gurwant Singh, SHO, Zirakpur.

The victim, Harpreet Singh, resident of Lohgarh, is out of danger at the Dera Bassi civil hospital. Bhardwaj and another unidentified man have been booked under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

The victim told police that he was passing by the park on his motorcycle around 8.30pm on Saturday when a woman sitting there with her friends abused him. When he confronted her, an argument erupted. The woman allegedly made a call, following which four to five youths reached the spot in a car and opened fire, with one bullet hitting his leg.

SUSPECT CLAIMS INNOCENCE

In a Facebook post, Bhardwaj claimed that he, along with a friend, was passing through Lohgarh, when they saw five to seven drug addicts sexually harassing two girls.

“We fired in the air to save the girls. But, police have registered a case against us to shield the accused, who are close aides of an influential politician in the area,” he wrote in the post.