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A 29-year-old man allegedly went on a rampage in a crowded market near his house in east Delhi’s Shahdara after he cut his throat with a knife on Friday evening, police said, adding that he then injured an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) who tried to stop him by inflicting a cut on his hand. The man then snatched the ASI’s service weapon, even as he bled profusely from the throat, and fired a bullet at the crowd, police said.
Police said that harm to others was averted when a 25-year-old street hawker, Ankur, overpowered the alleged attacker even as he pointed the gun and knife at him. The injured police officer, ASI Jitender Panwar, recovered his service weapon and took control of the situation with the help of the public.
The suspect was identified as Krishan Sherwal, who lived in a rented accommodation in Hardev Puri. Police said that Sherwal locked his room and gave the key to his house owner before allegedly attacking himself and others.
The incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the market, senior police officers aware of the matter said, adding that the man was depressed as he was separated from his wife.
Sherwal was rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital in a serious condition after the incident and was later shifted to the ICU, officers said. ASI Panwar was given medical attention and discharged from the hospital.
Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara), Rohit Meena, said they received two calls at the Mansarovar Park police station around 7pm on Friday regarding a man threatening the public and firing a gun. A team reached the spot at Nathu Colony Chowk in Shahdara.
“First, he cut his throat with a kitchen knife he picked up from home and started roaming around. ASI Panwar spotted Sherwal from his patrol vehicle and rushed to stop him. As Panwar tried to overpower him, Sherwal attacked him, snatched his service weapon, and fired one round. Fortunately, nobody was hurt,” said DCP Meena.
According to DCP Meena, Ankur rushed to stop Sherwal and overpowered him with the help of ASI Panwar and the public. “We felicitated Ankur for his bravery that not only averted a possible tragedy but also saved Sherwal’s life. Sherwal was declared unfit to record his statement as he is in the hospital undergoing treatment,” said DCP Meena. “We are trying to find out what triggered Sherwal to this degree that he cut his own throat and attacked a police officer on duty,” added the officer.
Police said a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt during robbery), 397 (using a deadly weapon during robbery), 186 (voluntarily obstructing public servant on duty), and 353 (assaulting public servant on duty) of the Indian Penal Code along with Section 27 of the Arms Act was registered at Mansarovar Park police station.