Firing at Republican Party of India leader’s farmhouse, guard injured

An unidentified man on Sunday shot at a 50-year-old security guard deployed at the farmhouse of a leader of the Republican Party of India’s (RPI) in outer Delhi’s

An unidentified man on Sunday shot at a 50-year-old security guard deployed at the farmhouse of a leader of the Republican Party of India’s (RPI) in outer Delhi’s Nihal Vihar, police said. The security guard suffered bullet injuries on his leg, they said adding that a case has been registered in the matter.

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According to the police, the suspect first approached the guard, Hari Nath, asking him about the whereabouts of the RPI leader Mohammad Shakeel Saifi. When the guard asked the suspect to contact his employer on his mobile phone, the suspect fired two rounds at him.

Deputy commissioner of police (Outer) A Koan said that Nath suffered bullet injuries in his legs and was shifted to Balaji Action Hospital. “A case of attempt to murder with sections 25/27 of the arms act has been registered at the Nihal Vihar police station and the investigation is on ion the matter,” the DCP added.

A police officer associated with the investigation, on the condition of anonymity, said that Saifi—the national president of the minority cell of RPI— was at his farmhouse with his family when the firing took place around 9 am. RPI is led by Ramdas Athawale, the Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment.

The officer said the injured security guard told the police that he was on duty alone when someone knocked at the farmhouse’s main gate. The guard opened the gate to find a man wearing a mask. “The man asked the guard about Saifi. Nath responded asking him to call Saifi if he wanted to meet him. At this, the man pulled out a pistol and fired two shots. The attacker fled as Nath screamed for help,” the officer said.

The police said they were informed about the incident around 9.15 am following which a team rushed to the spot immediately.

“The CCTV camera installed near the crime scene at Saifi’s farmhouse was defunct. We are scanning CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood to ascertain the suspect’s identity,” the officer added.