Thaindian News

Ghaziabad, Sep 28 (IANS) A contractor was shot dead and a municipal employee critically injured in Ghaziabad late Sunday night after three men, one of whom is an army soldier, opened fire at them following a dispute over parking of vehicles, police said Monday.
The contractor, Prashant Chaudhary, was supervising the cleaning of Ambedkar road for the Dussehra festival and the work was being undertaken by municipal sweepers.

Chaudhry’s motorcycle was standing in a parking slot in front of a local hotel and the three people asked him to remove it from there. However, he refused and an argument ensued, which also drew some of the sweepers to the spot. Angered over Chaudhry’s refusal, one of three people, who was allegedly drunk, took out a pistol and opened fire at the contractor, the sweepers and also fired in the air.

After the shooting, the three fled the spot, but one of them dropped his mobile phone, which was recovered by the police, who used it to identify him.

Meanwhile, the sweepers informed the police who took the contractor and the injured municipal employee, identified as Deepak Chaudhary, to hospital where doctors declared the contractor dead. The municipal employee’s condition was critical, doctors said.

Circle Officer Rajesh Bharti said a case has been registered against the three assailants, two of whom have been identified as Sunil Yadav and Umesh Yadav, both residents of Bamheta area, on basis of the mobile phone. However, they are yet to be arrested.

According to Bharti, one of the assailants is a serving Army soldier, here on annual leave. If the soldier does not surrender to the police, they will inform his superiors, he added.