- Two men were arrested for shooting a woman dead during a temple ceremony in Shimla
- The bullet struck 26-year-old Ritika during a celebratory firing at Kulgaon village
- Police seized the weapon and registered cases under the Arms Act and BNS regulations
Two persons have been arrested after a 26-year-old woman was shot dead during a religious ceremony at a village in Shimla, police said on Monday.
The accused have been identified as Rajat Sohta (28) and Amit alias Rohit Bhapta (32), both residents of Rohru.
The incident occurred on Sunday during a consecration ceremony of a newly constructed temple of a local deity in Kulgaon village. While everyone was dancing, the accused fired a bullet -- prima facie, as part of the celebration, according to the police.
The bullet hit Ritika, a resident of Chidgaon in Rohru, and killed her on the spot, police said, adding that the accused then fled the scene.
Police reached the village as soon as information about the incident was received and recovered the body.
Crucial evidence was collected from the spot, and the weapon used in the incident was also seized, police said. After a search, the two accused were taken into custody, they added.
The residents got angry and raised slogans against the police and the administration when the body of the deceased woman, which was to be taken for a postmortem, was kept in a sand-laden vehicle rather than an ambulance.
Shimla SSP Gaurav Singh said a case under Section 103 (1) of the BNS and Section 25 of the Indian Arms Act has been registered against the accused at the Chirgaon police station, and further investigation is underway.
Taking cognisance of the matter, the district administration has now banned carrying weapons to such occasions and has also warned of stern action if these orders are violated.
A magisterial enquiry has also been ordered into the incident by Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap, with the report to be submitted in a week.
The enquiry to be conducted by Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) Pankaj Sharma would look into the reason behind the incident, fix responsibility and point out lapses on the part of the administration, if any.
The enquiry would also look into the aspects of what led to the firing, fix the responsibility of the people involved in the incident, negligence on the part of organisers and others.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the death. He telephonically took the details of the incident and directed district administration to gather information and take strict action against those responsible, a statement issued here said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
