Chandigarh: Now, petrol bombs hurled at house in Bapu Dham Colony
Five persons have been booked, one of the assailants has been identified, an old rivalry is stated to be behind the incident, no one has been injured in the attack, say Chandigarh Police
Barely three days after an arson attack in a Ram Darbar house, five men threw petrol bombs into a residential courtyard in Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, owing to some old rivalry in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. The house occupants were asleep when fire engulfed the courtyard.
One of the assailants has been identified as Golu, a resident of Dadumajra. A case has been registered, the police said.
The FIR mentioned that complainant Pankaj, 21, reported that he was asleep when he heard noises from an adjacent park all of a sudden. When he stepped out of his room, he saw Golu, along with four unidentified youths, reportedly armed with sticks and glass bottles containing the flammable liquid.
According to Pankaj’s statement, the assailants threatened to kill him and then ignited the bottles they were holding before hurling them into the courtyard of his house. The bottles exploded, instantly engulfing the courtyard in flames, he stated. Pankaj alleged that the attackers then threatened to kill his family before fleeing.
There was no report of injuries. Pankaj claimed he clearly recognised Golu and would be able to identify the four others if they were brought before him.
Based on their assessment, the police concluded that the attack was a deliberate attempt to harm and intimidate the victim and his family. A case was registered under Sections 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence), 191(2) (rioting with deadly weapons), 191(3) (punishment for rioting), 326(G) (mischief involving damage to infrastructure through actions such as injury, fire, etc) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The incident comes just days after a similar attack in Phase 1, Ram Darbar, where a group reportedly led by Sunny who was accompanied by six to seven men, threw flaming bottles at the house of one Saroj Devi, causing a minor fire at the entrance. In that case, 20-year-old Vivek of BDC, Sector 26, was arrested. The police had said the attack was driven by a personal grudge. On Wednesday, police arrested three more accused — Shubham (18), Dilshad (19) and Sumit (18).
Complainant Saroj Devi, 50, had mentioned in her complaint that she heard noises outside her house around 1.25 am on April 20 when she and other members of her family saw Sunny and his aides carrying glass bottles filled with some unknown substance. The group allegedly threatened to kill her son Saurabh before lighting the bottles and hurling them at the house and nearby vehicles.
One of the flaming bottles reportedly caused a minor fire at the mesh door, which was quickly extinguished, the complainant mentioned. No injuries were reported, she added.