Despite the Election Commissions instructions to deposit firearms in the lead-up to the October 13 Assembly elections,unlicensed firearms are still a worry for the Haryana police. On Monday night,two youths were shot at in Town Number 1 area of Faridabad. According to the police,the accused used a countrymade pistol. The police said the victims 25-year-old Pankaj Thakur,a resident of Ghari in South Delhi and his friend Manish Chopra (24),a resident of Town Number 5 had gone to a restaurant in Bhagat Singh colony for dinner around 10.30 pm after Dussehra celebrations. They parked their motorcycle outside the restaurant,and were about to go inside when three men arrived in a Mahindra SUV and asked them to move their vehicle,their complaint says. I agreed to remove it,but the men in the car apparently misunderstood and an argument ensued, Pankaj said in his statement to police. One of the accused then allegedly pulled out a countrymade pistol and fired at Pankaj. The bullet hit him on his left thigh,the police said. The accused shot at Manish as well and injured him on his left thigh,Faridabad Police Commissioner P K Aggarwal said. The injured have been admitted at Escorts Hospital in Faridabad and are reportedly stable. The Faridabad police have arrested the main accused,identified as Madan,a resident of Kurali village in Faridabad. Police have also impounded their SUV. We have recovered the weapon from the prime accused. We also have leads on the other accused,one Naresh Kumar and one Narendra. Aggarwal said. The police registered a case under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) and relevant sections of the Arms Act. It is mandatory for those owning licensed weapons to deposit them with the police during the election season, Aggarwal said. Certain exemptions have been made for banks,petrol pumps and for personal safety,etc. Owning an illegal weapon does not fall under any of these categories. We are investigating where the weapon came from and will make arrests soon.
