Ludhiana: Rajan Sharma, brother of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district vice-president Mahesh Dutt Sharma, was arrested on Thursday night alongside an associate, Ankush Sharma, after allegedly firing a licensed handgun over a 90-rupee tavern dispute.Police claimed that a Sundar Nagar tavern owner, Aakash, had sent a waiter over Rajan’s table to collect payment for snacks but the intoxicated men had refused to pay, demanded to see the owner, and starrted shouting insults. They said when confronted, Rajan had allegedly drawn a .22-calibre revolver and fired two shots.No one was injured in this incident. The tavern owner’s and staff tackled the men and held them until police arrived.Additional deputy commissioner of police, Sameer Verma, confirmed the weapon was licensed to Sharma and ruled out any pre-existing rivalry. “The suspects were heavily intoxicated and they had fired into the air,” Verma said.Both men face multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act sections dealing with endangering personal safety and criminal intimidation.Self-defence, says BJP manDefending his brother, BJP district vice-president Mahesh Dutt Sharma said the gunfire was an act of self-defense following a sudden confrontation. “Rajan had no prior rivalry with anyone on the scene,” Sharma said.He said: “An argument escalated and a crowd began to gather. Having received threats recently, my brother became fearful that the crowd might harm him. He fired into the air to protect himself and never pointed the weapon at anyone.”
