Dhakoli shocker: Man beaten to death with iron rods for objecting to loud music

The victim, Ankit Rana, a resident of Karnal, succumbed to his injuries on February 2 while undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh. He was attacked in the early hours of February 1, allegedly over a lingering dispute that began on January 14.

A 32-year-old man died after being assaulted with iron rods following a dispute over loud music in Dhakoli, police said on Tuesday.

According to police, Rana, who worked in marketing and had been living in Dhakoli for the past three months, had earlier objected to loud music being played by one Pradeep Kumar alias Vicky, who lived in the neighbourhood. (HT File)

Two accused, including the main suspect, have been arrested.

The victim, Ankit Rana, a resident of Karnal, succumbed to his injuries on February 2 while undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh. He was attacked in the early hours of February 1, allegedly over a lingering dispute that began on January 14.

According to police, Rana, who worked in marketing and had been living in Dhakoli for the past three months, had earlier objected to loud music being played by one Pradeep Kumar alias Vicky, who lived in the neighbourhood.

This led to an argument, which appeared to have been resolved at the time.

The victim’s roommate, Ramesh Kumar, said that on February 1, he had gone off to sleep at 2 am. Around 6 am, he was awakened by noise from the drawing room.

As he went to check, he found Rana lying injured and bleeding after being assaulted with iron rods. There was no sign of the attackers.

Kumar rushed Rana to the civil hospital, from where he was referred to GMCH-32, due to the severity of his injuries. Despite medical treatment, Rana died the next day.

Following the death, Dhakoli police registered a case and launched a search operation. The two accused were arrested shortly thereafter. Police said the main accused has a criminal background, with a case under the Arms Act registered at Dhakoli police station and cheating and fraud cases registered in Sohana.

Dhakoli station house officer (SHO) Simarjeet Shergill said the murder stemmed from the earlier dispute over loud music. “The altercation began after the victim objected to loud music. We have arrested both accused. Pradeep has previous criminal cases registered against him, and we are investigating their role in detail,” he said.

Police are recording statements of witnesses, collecting medical and forensic evidence, and examining the sequence of events leading to the fatal attack.