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Chandigarh resident shot dead in Solan
Tribune Reporters

Solan, July 20
An unidentified young man shot dead another youth, identified as Manoj Kaushal, Manager of Sector 22, Chandigarh branch of J.K. Cement, in front of Subzi Mandi on the byepass road, here today.

The incident occurred at 1.30 p.m. The police took the bleeding victim to the Zonal Hospital here where doctors pronounced him “brought dead”.

An eyewitness said that a white Maruti car overtook a scooterist and blocked the scooterist’s way by bringing the car to a halt in front of the Subzi Mandi. The scooterist was forced to slow down due to heavy rush.

He added that a man, later identified as Manoj Kaushal, got out of the car with speed and accosted the scooterist. The scooterist whipped out a revolver-like firearm and fired two shots at the man who had come in the Maruti car. One shot hit him in the chest and another near the right ear. The assailant fled on the scooter towards the Kandaghat side.

Later six .32 bore live cartridges, 12 car and scooter keys and five kneecaps were recovered from the spot. These apparently were being carried by the scooterist in a plastic bag which fell down. The assailant took away the weapon with him. He is believed to have again used it to waylay two youths proceeding towards Shimla near Dedgharat where he snatched the latter’s scooter and helmet after showing them the firearm and ordering them to vanish. Probably he intended to proceed further on the snatched scooter, wearing a different helmet but changed mind on seeing an approaching local bus. He reportedly had boarded it after abandoning the scooter.

According to police sources, Kaushal had come here on a business visit to a trader, Mr Naresh Bansal. Both were standing in front of Bansal’s shop in Deonghat locality of this town at 1-15 p.m. when Bansal spotted a young man riding his (Bansal’s) scooter, which allegedly had been stolen on Thursday night.

Seeing someone riding his stolen scooter, Bansal requested Kaushal to give a chase to the man in the latter’s car which was parked closeby and ran towards his own scooter to follow him.

However Bansal took the old National Highway route through the local Mall while the scooterist chose the byepass with Kaushal on his tail. Bansal turned back after learning from the policeman posted in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office that he had not seen any Maruti car giving a chase to any scooter. He learnt of the incident only after reaching the spot.

The S. P., Mr S. Z. H. Zaidi, who reached the spot himself led a police party towards Kandaghat when they found the scooter abandoned near Dedgharat. Combing operations have led to the rounding up of two men from Shoghi.

CHANDIGARH: Little did Sunita know that her husband, Manoj Kaushal, who left home in the morning for Solan to return back the same day, would not come back alive.

Infact, it was his wife Sunita, who rushed with other relatives to Solan, when she was told that he had met with an accident in the afternoon. It was after reaching Solan, that she was told that her husband was no more as he had been shot dead by an unidentified assailant in the Solan sabzi mandi.

The body of Manoj, was brought to his Sector 45 residence at 11.15 pm after the completion of all formalities at Solan.

“It appeared as if his death was calling him to Solan, as he was in no way directly linked with the entire episode,” remarked one of his neighbours. Manoj, had been residing in his own house here for the past 10 years and had joined J.K. Cement only a year back. Forty four-year-old Manoj is survived by his wife, Sunita, and a 16-year-old daughter, Charu, and a 12-year-old son, Chiku. 

Heart rending scenes were witnessed at his house as his in-laws and parents reached here from Delhi. The cremation of Manoj will take place here tomorrow, after his relatives from his native village, Madoli, near Suhana, arrive.