Shots fired at family of arrested influencer Haji Salman outside Loni hospital; FIR registered

An First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Loni police station against eight to 10 unidentified persons

Family members of a Ghaziabad-based social media influencer Haji Salman, who was arrested in September, (yes) were allegedly attacked and fired upon by a group of unidentified men outside a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Loni late on Friday night, officers said.

The FIR was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 109(1) (attempted murder), 191(2) (rioting), 125 (acts endangering life and personal safety of others) and 324(4) (mischief causing damage). (PTI/ Representational)

“Two gunshots were found on the window glass of the hospital where the family was visiting. Their car was also damaged by the suspects. We have roped in the field unit to collect evidence related to rioting and firing, and the suspects will soon be traced and arrested. An FIR is registered,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the rural zone Surendra Nath Tiwari told HT.

An First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Loni police station against eight to 10 unidentified persons, among whom one has been identified, following a complaint by Bundu Khan, Salman’s brother in law and a resident of Gauri Patti in Loni.

Khan, in his FIR, seen by HT, said that his wife (Khan’s wife) and daughter (Khan’s daughter), Khan’s son Shahnawaz Khan (26) and Shahnawaz’s wife aged 24 were visiting a private hospital near the Loni tri-crossing, adjacent to the Delhi-Saharanpur Road, at around 10.15pm on Friday, when the incident occurred.

“My wife and my grandson were also accompanying them. Suddenly, a group of men arrived, and soon they badly damaged our new Swift car with bricks and sticks outside the hospital. Later, they pulled out weapons and fired shots at my family. They ran inside the hospital and hid in the washroom to save themselves. The suspects in the meantime also beat a woman cleaning staff of the hospital. They also fired shots that hit the windows of the hospital,” Khan told HT on Saturday.

Khan added that Shahnawaz is Salman’s nephew.

“Salman went to jail in September in connection with a case of an attack on an activist from Hindu Raksha Dal in September,” Ram Kishan, ACP of Loni circle, told HT.

The FIR in connection with Friday night attack said that the suspects were armed with country-made weapons, sticks, hockey sticks and knives.

The FIR was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 109(1) (attempted murder), 191(2) (rioting), 125 (acts endangering life and personal safety of others) and 324(4) (mischief causing damage).