Drunk youths create ruckus, spread panic

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, August 29

Panic spread outside the Panchkula Sector 6 General Hospital when a youth – Rahul Bhardwaj (24), along with his friend, not only pointed a revolver at the Sector 6 police post in charge, but also bit his ear and thrashed him. Later, he allegedly hit another policeman, constable Virender, who tried to control the situation and a photojournalist who was capturing the entire scene.

“After getting a complaint from a tubewell operator near the hospital that two youths, Rahul Bhardwaj from Saketri, who was drunk and his friend Rahul of Sector 11, banged their Tata Sumo car in a tubewell enclosure, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Vijender Singh (in charge of the police post) rushed to the spot. When Vijender saw that Bhardwaj was carrying a loaded revolver and was drunk, he asked him to hand over the same to him as he could hurt anybody with it.

However, the youth pointed the weapon at him. While the ASI tried to snatch the revolver from him, the youth bit him on his ear and injured him,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dalip Singh.

He added, “When Constable Virender from the police post rushed to the spot hearing the noise, he was also thrashed by the drunk youth and the latter even tore his shirt.”

When a photojournalist of a vernacular newspaper, Bunty, tried to capture the scene on his camera, Bhardwaj then allegedly hit him on his jaws. He is admitted to the Sector 6 General Hospital.

In the fight, Rahul Bhardwaj also suffered minor injuries. Passersby gathered on the spot but fled fearing a gunshot injury.

Krishan Bhardwaj, Rahul’s father, also reached the spot. He levelled counter allegations stating that the police also thrashed him.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Anil Dhawan reached the spot and said that the medical examination of all was being conducted. “Though it was a licensed revolver, yet he could have harmed anybody as he was drunk.”

A case has been registered at the Sector 5 police station.