Accused allegedly flees to Canada after shooting a guest in the back during a pre-wedding event
An NRI allegedly opened fire at a guest after being stopped from celebratory firing during a pre-wedding function in Malsihan Bajan village of Sidhwan Bet, Ludhiana. The victim sustained a gunshot injury near his spinal cord and remains in critical condition, reported hindustantimes.com.
The accused fled after the incident, and police are investigating his firearm license status.
Shooting at a Wedding Celebration
During a pre-wedding Haldi ceremony on February 15 in Malsihan Bajan village, Jasman Cheena, an NRI from Kakar Tihara village, allegedly shot Manjinder Singh, 26, after being asked to put away his revolver. The bullet struck Manjinder’s back near his spinal cord, leaving him seriously injured.
Manjinder, who works in the tent and catering business, attended the function with his cousin Daljit Singh. According to his statement, Cheena—who was reportedly intoxicated—sat at their table and began flaunting his revolver. When Manjinder urged him to stop, Cheena allegedly became abusive and issued threats.
As Manjinder walked away, Cheena fired at him. He was immediately rushed to Civil Hospital Jagraon and later transferred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in Ludhiana due to his critical condition.
Delayed FIR and Accused’s Escape
Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sukhmandar Singh, who is investigating the case, denied any delay in lodging the FIR. He stated that the victim was not medically fit to record his statement for six days. After Manjinder’s statement was recorded on February 17, police registered an FIR under Section 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The victim’s family claims the delayed investigation gave Cheena enough time to escape, and they believe he has already fled to Canada.
The ASI further mentioned that the police are still verifying whether the accused had a valid arms license. The Ludhiana deputy commissioner has already prohibited carrying firearms at wedding venues.
Another Incident of Wedding Gunfire
This is the second celebratory firing incident in Ludhiana in two days. On February 20, police arrested a Sangrur resident who fired a revolver outside a marriage palace in Jagraon while under the influence of alcohol. Police seized a revolver and a bullet from his possession.
***********************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken a small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, running a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will make a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com