Batala road rage turns deadly, death toll rises to two

Batala: One more youth injured in the shooting incident near Simbal Chowk in Batala, Gurdaspur, died late Friday night while undergoing treatment in Amritsar. The deceased was identified as Kanwaljit Singh, owner of a gun house in Batala while his brother, Jagjit Singh is in critical condition and is being treated at a hospital in Amritsar.The incident occurred on Friday following a dispute over giving way to a vehicle. An altercation reportedly broke out between Nihang Singh, Deepinder Singh and brothers Kanwaljit Singh and Jagjit Singh. During the ensuing exchange of gunfire, Deepinder was killed on the spot, while the two brothers sustained serious injuries and were referred to Amritsar for treatment. Kanwaljit later succumbed to his injuries.Deepinder's father Jasbir Singh told media that his son had no personal enmity with anyone and was actively involved in social service and was running a de-addiction centre. In an emotional statement, he said he could not understand why his son had been killed.According to police sources, three pistols were recovered from the scene. Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Batala, Mehtab Singh said the incident appeared to be a case of road rage. It was a sudden flare-up of tempers that turned the argument into a gun battle, he added. He said police have registered a case and launched an investigation.According to police reports, the dispute began over crossing of vehicles. During a heated argument, a youth travelling in a Toyota Fortuner allegedly pulled out a pistol and fired two to three shots. Deepinder Singh then allegedly returned fire with his licensed pistol, injuring one of the Fortuner occupants.Nearly 15 rounds were fired during the shootout. Police have reportedly recovered 9-10 spent cartridge cases from the scene, said sources.