Stabbing victim’s kin block Airport Road for 10 hours

A day after a 17-year-old youth was stabbed to death and another seriously injured at Kumbhra village, hundreds of locals blocked Airport Road today by placing the body in an ambulance in the middle of the road.

Residents demanded the arrest of absconding assailants and slammed the police over the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the city. The blockade that began at 11 am continued till 9 pm. SP Harbir Singh Atwal and DSP (City-2) Harsimran Singh Bal had a tough time negotiating with the protesters.

Mohali Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu said the law and order situation has crumbled in Mohali. “Local MLA Kulwant Singh is evading public even as the body is lying near the Aam Aadmi Party office. The assailants have fled to Uttar Pradesh. Those behind the assailants should be taken to the task,” he said.

Daman Singh (17) died after he was stabbed in the throat, while an eye of Dilpreet Singh (16) was allegedly gouged out by a violent group of miscreants in near Kumbhra village in Mohali on Wednesday evening.

Kumbhra Councillor Ravinder Singh Bindra said, “Dilpreet is battling for life in hospital. There were four assailants around 16-17 years of age. The incident has been caught on CCTV camera.”

SAD leader Parminder Singh Sohana resorted to sloganeering against the Phase 8 SHO and the Punjab government. “All assailants are staying in a nearby paying guest (PG) accommodation without tenant verification. What were the police doing till now? The assailants who are migrant workers have fled to UP, but police are not doing anything,” said a member of the deceased’s family, while sitting beside Daman Singh’s mother on the road.

The police have rounded up three persons, including the PG owner, in the case.

The row has apparently become a “locals versus migrant workers” issue as the protesters alleged that this is the second such incident when migrant workers have attacked locals in the village.

SP City Harbir Singh Atwal said, “The fight started over parking of a cycle after which the assailants returned with sharp-edged weapons to settle a score. Their phones are switched off now. Police teams have gone to arrest them.”