Firing at Chandigarh’s GMCH-32 in 2020: Four walk free as victim, witnesses fail to identify them

Over two years after some men opened fire targeting a man at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh, in January 2020, a local court has acquitted the four accused

Over two years after some men opened fire targeting a man at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, in January 2020, a local court has acquitted the four accused.

The court of additional district and sessions judge let off the suspects as the victim and two witnesses could not identify them. (Getty Images/Purestock)

The firing had left a bystander, Gurdyal Singh of Nalagarh in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, injured.

However, appearing before the court, Gurdyal and two witnesses — Jagtar Singh, the complainant in the case, and his friend Samar Bath, were unable to identify the four accused — Dilpreet Singh of Rupnagar, Baljit Singh of SBS Nagar, and Kamalpreet Singh and Bhavjit Singh Gill of Kharar.

Therefore, the court of additional district and sessions judge Jaibir Singh let them off.

According to the FIR, lodged on the statement of Jagtar, he, along with Samar, was at GMCH on January 10, 2020, to meet a friend, Lovepreet of Kharar, who was taken there for treatment.

While coming out of the emergency around 10.30 pm, two men who had a grudge against Samar, threatened him with dire consequences. As he ran to his car to escape them, five men were already standing there and opened fire at him. But a bullet instead hit a bystander, Gurdyal, in the arm.

Following investigation, police arrested the four accused and presented a challan against them. However, in court, the victim and the two eyewitnesses were unable to identify any of the four accused, according to advocate Ashish Kumar Gupta, defence counsel for Kamalpreet and Bhavjeet. Further, no weapon was recovered from the accused.