PHAGWARA: A group of youths allegedly vandalised a dhaba and opened fire in the air late at night on the Phagwara–Hoshiarpur Road near Khurampur village, creating panic in the area and leaving one person injured. The incident took place at Sarpanch Dhaba, located on the outskirts of Khurampur village.
According to the complaint lodged with the police, Manjot Singh, manager of the dhaba, stated that on the night of December 28, several youths, identified as Jaskaran, Prashant, Paras, Kunal, along with 10–11 others, arrived at the dhaba and sat in a room for food and drinks. After some time, a dispute reportedly broke out among them. Two of the youths came out of the room and allegedly began abusing a dhaba employee, Vijay Singh Rana.
The situation soon escalated, with the accused allegedly uprooting a pole from the premises and attacking Vijay Singh, causing injuries. During the altercation, bricks and stones were allegedly hurled, and sharp-edged weapons were used to damage flex boards and other items installed outside the dhaba.
Manjot Singh further alleged that the same group returned to the dhaba later that night and again indulged in vandalism. During this second incident, they allegedly fired several shots in the air, further intensifying fear among local residents. Following the incident, an atmosphere of fear has prevailed in the area, especially in view of multiple shooting-related incidents reported in Phagwara over the past few months, leading residents to feel increasingly insecure.
Superintendent of Police (Phagwara) Madhvi Sharma stated that a case has been registered under various sections against the named accused and unidentified youths, and efforts are underway to arrest them. However, she added that there has been no official confirmation so far regarding the alleged firing incident.