MIANI: The family of Manpreet Singh, one of the Punjab youths arrested following a firing incident in Kasol, Himachal Pradesh, has appealed to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Himachal Pradesh government to intervene and ensure the safe return of the youths to their homes.Maintaining that Manpreet acted in self-defence, the family alleged that he resorted to firing only after he and his companions were allegedly assaulted and threatened by local residents during an altercation in Kasol.Notably, four tourists from Punjab were arrested on May 30 following a dispute over vehicle parking in Kasol market that reportedly escalated into a physical brawl. During the incident, one of the tourists allegedly pulled out a pistol and shot a local youth, identified as Yuvraj, in the leg.A video of the incident has since gone viral on social media. One of the accused is reportedly still absconding.Denying allegations that her son initiated the confrontation or opened fire without provocation, Rajwant Kaur, an Anganwadi worker and mother of Manpreet Singh, said her son is the family’s sole breadwinner. She said her husband, Jatinder Singh, passed away three years ago.“Manpreet runs a hotel in Amritsar and is a hardworking young man. Apart from our two acres of agricultural land, our family is entirely dependent on him for our livelihood,” she said, adding that Manpreet got engaged just a month ago.According to Rajwant Kaur, Manpreet had left for Himachal Pradesh on Friday night along with his friend Armandeep Singh of Bahila village and others including Sukhmandeep Singh of Makhu (Ferozepur), Tamandeep Singh and Karandeep Singh of Batala (Gurdaspur).She alleged that the five youths were surrounded and brutally assaulted by local residents following the dispute. According to her, Sukhmandeep Singh’s turban was removed during the altercation and all five youths were physically attacked.Rajwant Kaur claimed that Manpreet suffered serious damage to one of his eyes during the assault. She maintained that any firing that took place was an act of self-defence and asserted that her son did not injure anyone.She further alleged that while a case was registered against the Punjab youths for allegedly opening fire and injuring two persons, no action was taken against those who had allegedly assaulted them.Gurnajpreet Singh, Manpreet’s cousin who recently met him at Manikaran police station, said the family fears that Manpreet could be implicated in additional cases. Singh appealed to the Punjab government to extend legal and humanitarian assistance to the arrested youths.He said that Sukhmandeep Singh, a minor, has been granted bail. However, he alleged that the remaining four youths are being subjected to physical abuse during police remand and are not receiving adequate medical treatment. “Our hopes are now on government to bring Manpreet back home”, Gurpreet added further.
