24 booked for opening fire at birthday party

AMRITSAR : As many as twentyfour people have been booked on charges of attempt to murder for allegedly firing dozens of rounds in the air while celebrating a birthday in Beas town, police said on Sunday.

Four among the total accused have been identified. They are Yuvraj Singh of Beas, Mehakdeep Singh of Rajadewa village, Sehaj Chahal of Kaleke village and Sehjad of Padda village in Amritsar. Four two-wheelers and a pistol has also been seized from the spot, police said.

A case under Section 307 (attempt to murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the Indian Penal Code, and 25-54-59 of the Arms Act has been registered against the accused at Beas police station.

The police have confiscated the CCTV footage of the restaurant where the birthday party was organised to identify the remaining accused.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sukhwinder Singh of Beas police station had received information that some people opened fire outside the Pajeria restaurant on Saturday night. When a police team reached the spot and investigated, it was found that 20-25 youths had visited the place to celebrate the birthday of Yuvraj Singh.

Police sources said the accused first had a dinner party and thereafter they started firing in the air outside the restaurant in celebration. Dozens of rounds were fired, gripping the area in panic. Some people present on the spot immediately informed the police about the incident. The accused fled in a hurry seeing the police, leaving behind three motorcycles and a scooter, the ASI said.

It was the second firing incident in the last 24 hours in Amritsar. On Friday night, two groups of colonisers had fired upon each other in Daburji village, killing one person and injuring three others.

THE ACCUSED FLED THE SCENE SEEING POLICE LEAVING BEHIND THREE MOTORCYCLES AND A SCOOTER