A police constable was killed in a shootout between police and a group of youngsters at a popular eatery on Amritsar’s busy Lawrence Road on Wednesday afternoon.
Police constables on Tarn Taran SP dectective Malvinder Singh’s personal security detail opened fire when the young men reportedly threatened the officer with a nine millimeter pistol.
The incident occurred a little past 4 pm when the officer arrived at the Pizza Hut fast food restaurant along with his wife and daughter.
Amritsar police commissioner Varinder Kumar said, “The boys were harassing a young woman in the restaurant and when Malvinder Singh intervened to stop them they got into a scuffle with him.”
Police claimed one of the youngsters opened fire first and the SP’s bodyguards only responded according to regulations.
Constable Balwinder Singh was fatally wounded in the encounter while another young policeman also sustained injuries. Police have arrested one of the culprits who was also hit in the exchange. The other youth however managed to escape leaving behind a car with fake Jammu & Kashmir license plates.
The incident has once again focused attention on the deteriorating law and order situation in the holy city.