DHARAMSALA: Tension gripped Dharamshala after a late-night firing incident near Kotwali Bazaar, where unidentified youths from Punjab allegedly opened fire during a scuffle with locals around 1:30 a.m. on the intervening night of September 19–20.
The bullet grazed a local youth’s neck, narrowly averting a major tragedy. CCTV footage of the incident soon went viral, heightening concern among residents. Following the firing, the accused fled the spot.
A case was registered at Dharamshala Police Station under FIR No. 153/2025, dated September 20, 2025, invoking multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, along with Section 25 of the Arms Act, 1959.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Kangra, Ashok Ratan, termed it a “blind case” as no concrete clues or suspect identities were initially available. A special police team was immediately constituted and dispatched outside the state. Through sustained raids in Punjab, supported by technical and intelligence inputs, all five accused were arrested within 32 hours in Amritsar on September 21.
The arrested individuals are:
Jaspreet Singh (30), son of Harpal Singh, Rajgarh Nangal, Batala, Gurdaspur – identified as the main accused who fired the shot.
Ranjeet Singh (28), son of Amar Singh, Kotla Baja Singh village, Batala, Gurdaspur.
Arshpreet Singh (31), son of Harpal Singh, Rajgarh Nangal, Batala, Gurdaspur.
Jitendra Singh (24), son of Joginder Pal, Navroop Nagar, Batala, Gurdaspur.
Neeraj (26), son of Rajesh Kumar, Kadi Hatti Road, Batala, Gurdaspur.
Police also seized the vehicle used in the crime. Interrogation of the accused is underway, and further details are being verified.
SP Ratan stated that the swift action was part of Kangra Police’s zero-tolerance policy towards crime. “No one involved in disrupting peace will be spared. Strict legal action will follow, ” he said, urging citizens to promptly report unlawful activities while assuring confidentiality of informants’ identities.