Gujarat: Stray bullet kills teenager in Morbi clash

Teams of State Reserve Police have been deployed in the area and the situation remained peaceful on Sunday, said police.

Police said that as the two groups faced off there was indiscriminate firing, and at least 16 rounds were fired. “One boy who was playing on the street was hit by a bullet on his temple. He was rushed to Rajkot Civil Hospital but he succumbed to his wounds later. Three other persons also sustained bullet injuries and they have been admitted to hospitals,” Morbi Superintendent of Police, Karanraj Vaghela, told The Indian Express on Sunday.

The boy has been identified as 13-year-old resident of the area, Vishal Bambhaniya.

“A 12-year-old girl was also hit by bullet in her leg while she was returning home from school. She has been admitted to a Rajkot hospital,” Inspector Ramji Chaudhary of A Division police station said.

The other two with bullet injuries have been identified as Arif Mir and Imran. “Arif has been admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad,” said Chaudhary.

According to the SP, the fourth injured person was beaten up by the crowd and later handed over to the police. “We are treating him as a suspect. But we not been able to ascertain his identity,” said SP Vaghela.

According to the police, the violence was a result of an old dispute between two groups. “Arif Mir’s brother, Mustak Mir, was killed last year in a similar incident. We suspect that the same group were involved in Saturday’s violence,” said the SP.

Mustak Mir, a history-sheeter, was shot dead in 2017 during a clash at Kalika Plot. Hitubha alias Hitendrasinh Zala, a resident of Sanala village near the Morbi town, was arrested in connection with the murder. But police said that Zala was currently out on interim bail. “Both the groups were feeling insecure since Mustak’s murder last year and that led to violence on Saturday,” Inspector Chaudhary said, adding a team of policeman has gone to Ahmedabad to register Arif’s complaint.