3 die in shootout inside packed Delhi courtroom
Gangster shot by 2 men dressed as lawyers; gunmen killed in police firing
Aturf war broke out inside a crowded Rohini courtroom on Friday between two rival gangs in which jailed gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi and his two assailants posing as lawyers were killed in the dramatic shootout that also saw police fire bullets in retaliation, officials said.
Video footage of the incident, which exposed security lapses in the system, showed policemen and lawyers rushing out in panic as gunshots rang out inside courtroom number 207.
The two gunmen dressed as lawyers are suspected to be members of rival Tillu gang, an official said, adding that over 30 shots were fired.
Witnesses said a law intern has also sustained bullet injury in her leg and some also claimed that the gang members pumped 10 bullets into Gogi, one of Delhi’s most wanted criminals.
Sources said that Gogi received about seven bullet injuries, even as there was no official confirmation from police on this.
Police said the incident happened around 1.15 pm when Gogi, who was involved in over 30 heinous crimes, was taken to the courtroom for a hearing. The armed assailants, who had 0.38 bore and 0.30 bore pistols, were already seated before Gogi entered the courtroom.
Although metal detectors were at the gates of the court, it was not known whether they were working or not, and how the armed men could get past, raising questions about security arrangements.
Advocate Sunil Tomar, who was present in the courtroom for his client's bail matters, said there were 15-17 people in the court of judge Gagandeep Singh when the gangsters opened fire.
“As Gogi entered the courtroom, two persons, who were dressed as lawyers, whipped out their pistols and suddenly opened fire upon him. After hearing gunshots, people started running to save their lives and the judge also went back to his office just behind the courtroom,” Tomar told PTI.
“For the first 15 minutes, I could not figure out what was happening there.” Gogi was taken to Rohini court by a 10member team of Third Battalion of Delhi Armed Police Force. They were also accompanied by personnel of special cell team of Delhi Police.
When Gogi entered the courtroom, the two assailants in lawyers' uniform opened fire on him. Immediately, the personnel from the counterintelligence team retaliated and the two assailants died on the spot, a police officer said.
“One commando had AK-47. They were inside the courtroom and fired a single shot on the head of one of the assailants and he was shot dead. Despite firing from an AK-47, our personnel fired in complete control and there was no collateral damage. No one else sustained any injuries. It was a controlled firing,” the officer claimed.
The joint commissioner of police (northern range) has been asked to enquire into the incident and submit a report.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered and is being handled by Crime Branch of Delhi Police.
Lawyers’ bodies in Delhi have demanded a probe into the shootout and called abstaining from work Saturday demanding enhanced security norms inside all the seven district courts premises in the national capital.
The 'Coordination Committee of all District Courts Bar Associations in Delhi' called for suspension of work on Saturday and said it will decide the further course of action in a meeting that has been called for Monday.
Police said that it is suspected that Tillu gang was behind the incident.