Kicked out of spiritual gathering, man sets organiser’s shop on fire

The suspect, Harish alias Honey, went to the satsang in an inebriated condition, police said, adding that the organisers asked him to leave but he refused

A man was booked for allegedly torching a furniture shop and two vehicles in New Basti in Sector 8 after he was slapped and kicked out of a satsang (religious gathering) for arriving there in an inebriated state.

The fire spread and damaged two vehicles, a Honda WRV and a Maruti Celerio, that were parked in front of the shop and belonged to local residents. Fire tenders were called to douse the flames. (Representative Image/HT Photo)

According to police, shop owner Parmeshwar Kumar had organised the satsang at his residence in Arjun Nagar on November 5.

The suspect, Harish alias Honey, went to the satsang in an inebriated condition, police said, adding that the organisers asked him to leave but he refused. A group of people then slapped the suspect and sent him away, police said.

The suspect then decided to take revenge on Kumar, police said. He reached Kumar’s shop with petrol in a container just before midnight, emptied it completely and then set the shop on fire, police said.

The fire spread and damaged two vehicles, a Honda WRV and a Maruti Celerio, that were parked in front of the shop and belonged to locals. Fire tenders were called to douse the flames.

A senior police officer said it was initially assumed that the fire was caused by a short-circuit, but the shop owner and others in the neighbourhood checked CCTV camera footage of the area on November 7 and were surprised to find that Harish had reached the spot with a container of inflammable liquid and set the shop alight after pouring the liquid all over it.

“They checked the CCTV only after a local resident voiced suspicion that Harish could have caused mischief. Kumar caught hold of Harish and asked him about the incident, and he admitted to the crime. But by the time we were informed, Harish managed to escape,” said the police offcer.

Inspector Dinkar Kumar, station house officer of New Colony police station, said Harish is on the run. “We are trying to arrest him as soon as possible,” he said.

On Kumar’s complaint, an FIR against Harish was registered on Friday night under sections 427 (mischief causing damage of the amount of ₹50 or above) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc) of the Indian Penal Code.