Chandigarh: A 27-year-old man was killed and his brother critically injured after a speeding Mahindra Thar allegedly hit three youths outside a hotel in Daria village around 12.30am on Saturday. Family members and friends of the deceased claimed the collision was deliberate and linked to an old personal dispute between the two groups.The deceased, Pawan Kumar, a resident of Indira Colony, worked as a bouncer with an immigration firm in Sector 34. His brother Suraj sustained critical injuries and was referred to PGI after being initially taken to GMSH-16. Pawan succumbed to his injuries during treatment.Pawan is survived by his wife and five-year-old son.Raj Singh of Manimajra, who was with the brothers when the incident took place, said they had booked a room at a hotel in Daria for a party on Saturday night. Raj told TOI on the phone that Pawan and the accused had exchanged heated arguments and abusive messages on Instagram earlier in the evening.After the party, Raj said he and Suraj initially decided to leave while Pawan and a few other friends stayed back at the hotel. When Raj came outside, he allegedly saw the accused and others arriving in three to four SUVs. He said he went back inside with Suraj and alerted Pawan about their presence.Raj claimed that around 12.30am, he, Pawan and Suraj got into their SUV to leave. According to him, one of the accused allegedly rammed his vehicle into their SUV. He added that when the three were crossing the road, Monu Jaiswal and others allegedly arrived in a Mahindra Thar at high speed and hit Pawan and Suraj. Raj escaped unhurt.The injured brothers were rushed to GMSH-16, where Pawan died during treatment. Suraj suffered serious injuries to his face and eyes and was later referred to PGI.Following Pawan’s death, relatives and friends gathered at the hospital and demanded registration of a murder case, alleging that he had been deliberately targeted. Police subsequently registered a case based on Suraj’s statement.On Sunday afternoon, Pawan’s family members staged a protest at the Housing Board light point, demanding the arrest of Monu Jaiswal, Monu Kandu, Malkit alias Kaka, Saurabh Shooter and others named in connection with the incident.The family also alleged that Monu Jaiswal has a criminal background and that his name had surfaced in the murder case of property dealer Chinni Kubaheri in Sector 9. This allegation is yet to be independently verified.Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the hotel and surrounding roads to reconstruct the sequence of events. Police are also looking into the alleged Instagram dispute between the two groups.DSP (East) P Abhinandan said a murder and attempt-to-murder case has been registered against Malkeet alias Kaka, Monu and others. “Raids are underway to arrest the accused involved in the incident,” he said.
