The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Man scolds bikers, shot at 4 months on
‘THEY PLANNED REVENGE FOR MONTHS’
ONE PERSON was arrested for shooting at a man, who had scolded him and his friend after their motorcycle brushed past a child, on October 9 near Triveni Complex in south Delhi.
The two men, who had been waiting all these months to take revenge, shot at him on January 30 when he was with his daughter. Joint Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Ravindra Singh Yadav said around four months ago, the accused, Lalit and Manoj, were heading towards Dakshinpuri from Malviya Nagar on a motorcycle after purchasing liquor. “Kuldeep Sehrawat had scolded and hit the two after their vehicle brushed past a child. In an act of revenge, they shot at him on January 30,” he said.
While the bullet from Manoj’s pistol hit Sehrawat near his neck, Lalit’s country-made pistol did not fire. “The victim wrangled with one of the accused and managed to pin him down but both managed to flee. Later, we got a tip-off that on January 31, Lalit would be near Deer Park Corner in Bhikaji Cama Road,” Yadav said.
A trap was laid and the accused was nabbed after a brief scuffle, police said. “The accused has been involved in cases of robbery, including stealing of a pistol from an armed force personnel,” he added. A LARGE portion of Connaught Place’s Block C caved in around 2 am on Thursday — the first time such an incident has taken place at the commercial centre in recent memory. No casualty or injury was reported.
The ceiling and walls of a vacant first floor shop — above the renowned Jain Book Depot and some neighbouring stores — caved in when there were hardly any people around. But the gaping red wound on the white facade led to shock and awe as people started trickling in later.
“Gir gaya (It has collapsed)” is what many shoppers and shopkeepers simply said as soon as they looked towards the sky, standing near a chain of book stores, some as old as 80 years.
The cavity in the facade revealed water tanks and generator sets resting on the ceiling, while entire pillars lay on the road, crumbled. Many stopped to take photos, as NDMC and police officers took stock.
NDMC chairperson Naresh Kumar said, “We called a team from IIT. According to them, the collapse happened due to two reasons — old building structure and excess load of the roof. A fivemember committee has been formed comprising NDMC officials, an expert from the IIT Delhi department of civil engineering and a CPWD official. We have asked building owners to provide a structural stability certificate.”
The incident, many said, should prompt some soul-searching on part of the authorities. “Achcha hua. Log jaane CP ke building ki halat kya hai (People should know the state of CP’S buildings),” said Raj Kumar, a vendor who usually sets up a stall to sell mobile covers on the pavement there.
Nabhi Kumar Jain, owner of Jain Book Depot said, “This might be the first time an entire shop has caved in in CP. The buildings, built by the British in the last century, can survive another 100 years. And this was one of the earliest to be renovated during the Commonwealth Games. Perhaps faulty maintenance and overloading the rooftop led to this.”
Fire tenders rushed to the spot after a call went out. “By morning, the NDMC’S fire department took over,” Delhi fire chief G C Mishra said.
Two cranes to lift portions of collapsed walls, trucks to transport debris, an ambulance, and police and NDMC vehicles hovered around Block C through the day.
DCP (New Delhi district) B K Singh said, “We have registered an FIR under IPC Section 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc). We are trying to find the owner of the building.”