11-year-old boy shot dead at pre-wedding bash in Jassowal

“The bride’s brother Vipin Kumar,under the influence of alcohol,began firing rounds from his father Surinder Kumar’s licenced 12-bore shotgun. Another guest at the party,Jasvir Singh,tried to snatch the gun from Vipin as he too wanted to fire a shot. In the ensuing scuffle,Gagandeep was shot in the thigh,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Narinderpal Singh.

A local hospital is also under scrutiny as the deceased’s family have alleged that it refused to admit the child,who as a result bled to death. “The family claims that they first took Gagandeep to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital where the hospital authorities refused to admit him. Then,the injured child was taken to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Doctors attributed the death to excessive bleeding,” added the DSP.

The police have booked three persons — Surinder Kumar,his son Vipin Kumar and Jasvir Singh — in the case but no arrests have been made so far.

The accused had first tried to cover up the case,said the DSP. “The dead child belongs to a poor family,which lives right across the house of Surinder Kumar. Kumar’s relatives,who brought Gagandeep to the hospital,tried to pass off the injuries as the result of a road accident. Later,the doctors ascertained that the injuries were due to a gunshot.”