Celebratory firing kills worker at Delhi wedding

NEW DELHI: A catering agency worker was killed and another received gunshot wounds when a 27-year-old son of a former police commando opened fire to celebrate his cousin's wedding in west Delhi's Nangloi area.

The accused, Dharmendra, was allegedly drunk and had earlier been booked for attempt to murder for a similar "celebratory firing" six years ago.

Police said the victim, Mohammad Yousuf, 50, was cleaning dishes and had his back turned to the accused when a bullet hit him in the head. As Yousuf fell to the ground, bleeding profusely , people at the venue started running for cover. One of the other workers who tried to help Yousuf was shot at as well.

The firing was started by Dharmendra and his cousins past midnight last Wednesday . When other guests asked them to stop, his cousins obeyed but Dharmendra kept firing from his pistol in drunken revelry. Eyewitnesses told police they had tried to catch Dharmendra after the firing but he fled into a dark lane. He was, however, tracked down by the cops within a few hours and arrested. The victim, Yousuf, worked for the catering agency for a daily wage of Rs 200. He had come to Delhi from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, four years ago and lived here with five others, including Kashif, who was injured in the firing.

The accused, Dharmendra, had refused to go to the wedding with his parents, who left home at 7pm, police said. He told them that he had some work and would reach the venue an hour later. After his parents left, he started drinking at home.

After drinking for several hours, Dharmendra entered the function after midnight and went straight to



the food counter. He asked the men present at the counter for food, but they refused saying there wasn't any left. The men told Dharmendra that dinner had started at 9pm and was over by midnight. He nodded and moved away , police said.

After the firing, one of the eyewitnesses called up the cops, who took the two victims to a private hospital.

Doctors said both men were in a critical state. They were later shifted to RML hospital, where Yousuf succumbed to his injuries on early on Saturday . Kashif is stated to be stable.
Police said while examining the wedding venue they found that someone had tried to clean the bloodstained floor before they reached the spot.

Police said the weapon of offence was recovered from Dharmendra and seized. He told the cops during interrogation that he had bought the country-made pistol from a supplier in Meerut. He, however, couldn't provide details of the seller. The accused has been charged with murder, police said, adding that the party organisers had also been booked under relevant sections. Cops were questioning eyewitnesses to gather more details.
Six cartridges of 7.65mm bore were recovered from the spot. "A case under section 302 IPC and Arms Act has been registered. We have also questioned the accused's father to find out about the source of the weapon," Vijay Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (west).

Police said Yousuf was the only earning member in his family . His friends told the cops that he used to send most of his salary to his wife in UP for paying the school fees of their children, three sons and two daughters.