Security guard fires in air to save MLA involved in local brawl; 7 injured

Seven people, including a local MLA, were injured and shots were fired in the air after a clash between two unarmed groups turned awry in north Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, the police said. Bhadra Sinha reports.

Seven people, including a local MLA, were injured and shots were fired in the air after a clash between two unarmed groups turned awry in north Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, the police said.

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Vivek Kishore, deputy commissioner of police (central) said that the matter was reported from Sitaram Bazar area around 2:30pm, when a group of residents objected to the installation of a bore well.

"The commotion began around 1:30pm, soon after MLA Shoaib Iqbal of the Lok Janshakti Party reached the area to inaugurate the digging work for a bore well at the residence of a local resident, identified as Shahabuddin," said a senior police officer.

As a small contingent led by the MLA began digging, a group of residents, led by one Haji Manzoor, reached the spot and told Shahabuddin that they were getting disturbed by the noise of the digging machines. "Initially, both sides were discussing whether the work could be postponed till Sunday, but soon, it turned into a clash with at least 20 people pelting stones at each other. Seven of them had to be rushed to Lok Nayak Hospital," the officer said.

Meanwhile, the MLA also reached the spot and, according to police, tried to sort out the matter before becoming a part of the scuffle himself.

As the threatening crowd moved-in on the MLA, Iqbal's personal security offficer, head constable Gopichand was left with no other alternative than firing warning shots in the air. "It was his duty to ensure that nothing untoward happened to the person whom he was protecting, so he fired three shots from his pistol in the air to keep the menacing crowd at bay," the officer said, adding that a case had been registered against the two parties involved in the melee.