Delhi: Man kills friend at bus terminal after quarrel over borrowing jacket

Police identified the deceased by his first name, Balbir, and the suspect as 30-year-old Shankar. Both lived in south Delhi’s Lado Sarai and worked as sanitation staff for a private firm.

A quarrel over a jacket during a bus ride turned fatal, when a 29-year-old man was beaten to death by his friend in east Delhi. The incident was reported from Anand Vihar in the wee hours of Monday.

Police identified the deceased by his first name, Balbir, and the suspect as 30-year-old Shankar. Both lived in south Delhi’s Lado Sarai and worked as sanitation staff for a private firm.

Police identified the deceased by his first name, Balbir, and the suspect as 30-year-old Shankar. Both lived in south Delhi’s Lado Sarai and worked as sanitation staff for a private firm.

“Balbir was to catch a bus from Anand Vihar bus terminal to Sambhal where he had to attend a friend’s wedding. Shankar decided to see him off at the bus terminal,” said a police officer.

Before departing, the two allegedly consumed alcohol outside a liquor shop near the bus terminal. But when Balbir was about to take the bus at around 2am, he felt he was not adequately dressed to escape the cold during the bus journey. “Balbir asked Shankar to lend him his jacket for the journey and promised to give it back upon returning. But Shankar refused to hand over his jacket, leading to a drunken quarrel,” said the officer.

The argument soon turned into a brawl even as other passengers tried to intervene and separate them. “It was during their scuffle that Shankar picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and hit Balbir on his head,” the officer added.

Though Balbir was struck only once on his head, he collapsed and fell unconscious. He was taken to a hospital as passengers nabbed Shankar from the spot and handed him over to the police.Balbir, however, bled to death before he could be admitted in the hospital. Shankar has been booked for murder and sent to jail, said the officer.