‘Encounter’ at Restaurant: Bullet holes in a quiet diner

Shaibu claims he was not present during the firing and it was police who called him after the shooting.

2 min readNew DelhiMay 18, 2015 02:18 AM IST

It’s 8 pm Sunday evening. The Sagar Ratna restaurant in old Rajendra Nagar wears a deserted look. At least a dozen customers are sent back. “We are closed,” is the response from the manager.

Sandwiched between an IAS coaching institute and another food joint, Sagar Ratna is positioned at one of the safest locations in the busy market area. Less than 50 meters from it is a police chowki. Above the restaurant, on the second floor, is a parlour.

Twenty-four hours after the “encounter” of Manoj Vashisht inside this restaurant, people who were nearby recollect the firing. Suparna, an employee with the saloon, says, The restaurant is generally full during the weekends, but I had never seen so many people standing outside before. I then heard the firing. I ran towards the entrance and saw one dead body lying on the floor.”

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“It was 8:28 pm. That was when the firing took place”, claims a street vender, who does not want to be named. The vendor, who sells fruit in the proximity of the restaurant saw a glass panel suddenly shatter. From his joint, he points out, “That is the glass which shattered. I heard a noise. Did not know it was due to firing. Only after some time did we come to know it was a police encounter.”

“It was dark. Now we notice that more than one glass panel was damaged due to firing. But we do not know how many rounds of firing took place,” says Shaibu Mathew, manager of this branch of Sagar Ratna. Shaibu claims he was not present during the firing and it was police who called him after the shooting.

Kaunain Sheriff M

As City Editor ( Delhi) at the Indian Express, Kaunain Sheriff leads city reporting with a sharp focus on accountability journalism, data-driven stories, and ground-level impact. As the National Health Editor he leads the newsroom’s in-depth coverage of pressing health issues. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, a definitive investigation into the accountability of one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical corporations. Areas of Expertise Investigative Reporting: Has deep expertise in investigative reporting spanning public health, regulatory affairs, drug safety, and the criminal justice system. His work sits at the intersection of governance, law, and accountability, with a particular focus on how regulatory failures, institutional lapses, and policy decisions affect citizens’ rights and safety. Data Journalism: Has extensively on big data–driven investigations, including analyses of flagship government schemes and large datasets on criminal trials, uncovering systemic gaps. Global Collaborations Kaunain is a key contributor to major international journalistic projects: The Implant Files: Collaborated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to expose global malpractices in the medical device industry. Chinese Big-Data Investigation: Uncovered how a foreign data firm monitored thousands of prominent Indian institutions and individuals in real-time. Awards & Recognition His commitment to "Journalism of Courage" has been recognized with the industry's highest honors: Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism SOPA Award (Society of Publishers in Asia) Red Ink Award (Mumbai Press Club) Indian Express Excellence Awards (Triple recipient for investigations into the NSA abuse in UP, Vyapam scam, and the anti-Sikh riots). Education: Studied Mechanical Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Bangalore, before moving to Delhi to pursue his passion for journalism. His engineering training informs his analytical approach, enabling him to decode technical, legal, and data-heavy systems with precision. Social media LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kaunain-sheriff-3a00ab99 X ( fromerly Twitter): @kaunain_s ... Read More

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