A bureaucrat was shot dead inside a court in Chandigarh this afternoon allegedly by his father-in-law, a suspended assistant inspector general of the Punjab police. The victim, Harpreet Singh, was an IRS officer (Indian Revenue Service) in the irrigation department.
There was allegedly a domestic dispute going on between the families of the victim and the accused and both the parties had reached the Chandigarh Family Court in connection with the same matter.
A mediation session was underway between both sides when the accused – Malwinder Singh Sidhu – excused himself to use the washroom and his son-in-law offered to show him the way. Both went out of the room. Moments later, five shots were heard.
Out of the five shots that Sidhu fired, two bullets hit Singh who collapsed to the ground.
Videos from inside the court complex showed Singh on the floor with people accompanying him were heard pleading for help.
"He has been shot. Please someone take him to a hospital," a man was heard saying.
Some lawyers who were at the premises caught the accused, locked him in a room and informed the police.
The police have detained the accused.
Another video showed Singh lying in a pool of blood outside the court as several people flanked him, trying to take him to the hospital.
He died on the way to the hospital.