21-year-old man killed in celebratory firing in Punjab; raids in Rudrapur to trace accused

Rudrapur: A Punjab Police team, assisted by Uttarakhand Police, conducted joint raids in Rudrapur on Monday to trace a municipal councillor accused in a fatal firing during a wedding in Punjab's Balachaur. The accused remains untraceable.Police said Johny Bhatia, councillor of Ward No. 14 in Rudrapur, is suspected to have opened fire during a wedding ceremony on Sunday at Chaudhary Palace Marriage Hall in Balachaur, allegedly killing a 21-year-old man.Rudrapur SHO Manoj Ratudi said the Punjab Police acted on a lead that Bhatia was in the area. "We coordinated with them and conducted joint raids at multiple locations to locate the accused," he said.Police sources in Punjab said the incident took place at Chaudhary Palace marriage hall, where alleged celebratory firing led to a bullet striking one Tarjeet Singh in the chest. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.A case was registered under relevant sections, and the investigation pointed towards the involvement of the Rudrapur councillor. The deceased was recently deported from the US and was from the family of an Air Force veteran.