The Hindu : New Delhi News : Two stabbed to death; one assailant lynched

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New Delhi

Two stabbed to death; one assailant lynched

Staff Reporter

Clash between two groups over some trivial issue claims three lives in Chirag Dilli

Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Taking no chances: Police deployed in full strength at Chirag Dilli in the Capital on Saturday after the murder of two young men and lynching of another in the area on Friday night and (right) Vipul, one of the victims.

NEW DELHI: A fight over a trivial issue turned ugly in Chirag Dilli late on Friday night when two young men were stabbed to death allegedly by a group of assailants and in retaliation relatives of the victims and local residents, who had overpowered one of the assailants, allegedly beat him to death.

It all started around 10-30 p.m. when an altercation broke out between 19-year-old Vikas Shandilya, his 27-year-old cousin Vijay and another group of locals over a trivial issue. When the situation seemed to be getting out of hand, Vikas ran towards his house to save his life. He was, however, chased by three of the assailants. They forced their way into the house and stabbed Vikas. His mother Sunita and grandmother Premwati tried to intervene, but were pushed away.

“All were armed with knives and rods,” alleged Premwati.

Vijay also tried to escape, but was cornered by the assailants and stabbed. The criminals were fleeing when the two women raised an alarm, hearing which some neighbours rushed to their help and managed to overpower one of the assailants, later identified as Sumit. The angry residents lynched Sumit. Meanwhile, the profusely bleeding Vikas and Vijay were rushed to Modi Hospital where they were given some first-aid and referred to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences where they succumbed to their injuries around 6-45 a.m. on Saturday.

The injured assailant also succumbed to his injuries early on Saturday morning.

Preliminary enquiries by the police indicated that the attack on Vikas and Vijay could have been the fall-out of an altercation between them and the suspects at an engagement function in the area on Thursday. The miscreants were allegedly drunk and were dancing along with women when some men objected to it and that led to an altercation.

Fearing another round of fight, Vijay and Vikas had decided not to attend the marriage function in Sonepat on Friday and stayed back. “We stopped them from going to Sonepat, but the inevitable happened,” said Premwati.

Vijay’s uncle Shri Chand said: “The incident took place when we were in Sonepat. There were not many people in the colony as most of them had gone to another marriage function at Garhi in South Delhi.” He said Vijay’s father Jai Bhagwan was murdered a couple of years ago over some dispute. Vikas’ father had also died about two years ago. Vijay ran a property business and Vikas was a first year graduation student.

The police have registered murder cases and launched a hunt for others involved in the killings. Suspecting escalation of violence, a large number of policemen have been deployed in the area.

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