A stray bullet killed retired Brigadier Mukesh Kumar Joshi during his morning walk in Dehradun, stemming from a bar brawl the previous night rather than road rage, police said. Four men have been arrested in connection with the shootout.
Retired Brigadier Mukesh Kumar Joshi, 74, was struck by a stray bullet and killed while on a morning walk on Malsi Road in Dehradun on Monday. Senior Superintendent of Police Parmendra Dobhal said the accused initially tried to portray the shootout as road rage but interrogation revealed it stemmed from a dispute the previous night.
The conflict erupted at a bar between a group of youths and bar staff over reducing the bill. During the altercation, bar staff damaged the rear windshield of the youths' Scorpio vehicle, Dobhal explained.
The next morning, the bar staff travelled in a Fortuner vehicle, which the youths chased in their Scorpio. Both sides fired during the pursuit, leading the Fortuner to crash into a tree near Johri village and a government primary school.
The chasers assaulted the bar staff, injuring two who were taken to hospital. Police arrested Aditya Chaudhary from the Scorpio, Rohit Kumar and Mohammad Akhlaq from the Fortuner, and bar owner Sandeep Kumar. Officers recovered two country-made pistols and four live cartridges from nearby bushes after the accused fled into the forest. The bar has been sealed, with a report sent for licence cancellation.
