Panchkula, 19 October, 2024: Police have arrested eight persons, including three minors, in connection with the murder of an e-rickshaw driver during a road rage incident near Amartex Chowk traffic light in Sector 14 on October 12.
According to police officials, the adults arrested have been identified as Ajay, Umesh Yadav, Vishal Yadav, Kishan, and Chhotu, all of whom reside in the Mauli Jagran and Sunder Nagar areas of Chandigarh.
Police stated that the case came to light after Chaman Prakash, a resident of Uttar Pradesh currently living in Sector 20, Panchkula, filed a complaint regarding the tragic event.
In his statement, Prakash detailed that he and the deceased, identified as Pushpendra, 25, both operated e-rickshaws in Panchkula and that on the evening of October 12, they were traveling to a Dussehra event in Sector 15 when their rickshaw was lightly struck by a truck after its driver suddenly applied the brakes.
Although there were no injuries from the initial collision, a misunderstanding escalated the situation, reads the complaint.
A group of three to four unidentified motorcyclists mistakenly believed that Pushpendra was the truck driver responsible for the incident and subsequently attacked him with sharp weapons and stones near Amartex Chowk.
According to the witnesses at the scene who attempted to intervene, the attackers managed to flee before any arrests could be made.
In the aftermath, Pushpendra was rushed to Sector 6 civil hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead upon arrival.
Following Prakash’s complaint, the Sector-20 police station registered an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 103 (1), 191 (3), 190, 115 (2), 118 (1), 324 (4), and 351 (2). Assistant police officers continue to investigate the matter as they gather further evidence and seek additional suspects involved in this tragic incident.
