NEW DELHI, Aug 18: A brawl over pet dogs, rather between two pet dogs, has taken the lives of two persons and landed six others in hospital with bullet injuries. The bizarre incident took place in city that for years had been winning the medal of being the “cleanest city” in India, the historical place of Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
It all started with two pet dogs fighting with each other and in the process entered one’s house. A person in the house chased away the neighbour’s dog with a stick that enraged the neighbour who went to his first floor home, picked up his licensed arms and opened fire at all and sundry.
The man, who has been arrested along with two of his relatives, happens to be a security guard in a branch of Bank of Baroda, and his neighbour the victim to be killed on the spot, used to run a hair cutting saloon.
The police said the incident took place around 10 pm on Thursday in Krishna Bagh colony under Khajrana police station area when Rajpal Singh Rajawat, the bank security guard, opened fire on his neighbours from his balcony killing two and injuring six others.
Rajawat and his neighbour Vimal Amcha, 35, were walking their dogs at a narrow lane in Krishna Bagh Colony when the two animals lunged at each other. “Initially, pet dogs of two neighbours started fighting, following which people gathered. Subsequently, the argument between the neighbours escalated and one of them, who is a guard at a bank, identified as Rajpal Rajawat, first fired shots in the air and then on the people standing below. Six people were injured and two were killed in the shooting,” Amrendra Singh, Additional DCP, Indore, said. The bank guard has been arrested and his double-barrel 12 bore gun was seized, the police said. Two persons, identified as Vimal (35) and his brother-in law Rahul Verma (28), were killed in the firing.
The two dogs while fighting among themselves entered VImal’s house when Rahul chased out Rajawat’s dog. Soon, an argument began between the two men, after which Rajawat ran up to his first-floor home and fired at Amcha from his licensed 12-bore shotgun.
A video of the horrific shooting shows Rajawat loading the shotgun and firing a warning shot in the air before aiming at the street below. The shots are followed by screams from the street. Amcha and Rahul died on the spot. The pregnant wife of Rahul Verma, Jyoti Verma, suffered a pellet injury to her eye, the police said.
Six others, who were on the street when the fight broke out, also suffered bullet injuries and have been hospitalised. Two of them have been seriously injured, police said. Rajawat, a native of Gwalior, was arrested along with his son Sudhir and another relative, Shubham. A case of murder has been filed against him, they said.
The neighbourhood is in shock over the killings. A neighbour, Pallavi Borse, said the fight between the two owners escalated when the two fighting dogs entered Vimal Amcha’s home and he chased them away. Police said there was no previous enmity between Rajawat and his neighbour. A thorough probe has been initiated into the incident.
(Manas Dasgupta)