A 26-year-old man succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning, a day after he was stabbed while trying to intervene in a migrants’ street fight in Phase 11, Mohali.
As per information, the victim, Gursevak Singh, and his friends had gone to a temple during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday to pay obeisance on the occasion of Shivratri. While returning home, he saw a group of over 20 men engaged in a fight. Hoping to pacify them, the victim allegedly intervened but was allegedly attacked with a sharp-edged weapon.
His father, Balwinder Singh, a farmer from Haryana, said that after the attack, his son had walked to his friends and informed them that he was stabbed. The friends rushed him to a Fortis Hospital in Mohali, where he died on Monday morning.
Following his demise, aggrieved family members gathered outside the outpatient department (OPD) of Fortis and staged a protest for over four hours, alleging that his treatment had been delayed. The stir led to a traffic jam on the junction outside the hospital. The family also tried to meet Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who was admitted at the hospital at the time.
Later on Monday evening, the hospital issued a statement denying allegations of delay in treatment or inappropriate billing. “The victim was brought to the hospital in the early hours of February 15 in a critical condition with stab injuries. He was immediately attended to by the emergency and critical care teams. The hospital said doctors administered all necessary resuscitative and advanced medical interventions as per established protocols but he succumbed to the severity of his injuries despite continuous efforts,” the hospital said.
The victim’s father, meanwhile, was in an inconsolable state. “He was my only child. What will I do now? He was always a good kid, never touched alcohol or abused substances. He always helped others, would ask people not to fight. Never thought he would lose his life this way,” Balwinder said.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans, who met the father, said, “We have identified 12 accused. Raids are on to nab the others as well. The body has been sent for post-mortem.”
The matter took a locals’ versus migrants overtones with some protesters raising the issue. Activist Amitoj Maan, who joined the protest, said, “We are not saying every migrant is a criminal, but filtration is a must. Proper verification should happen. Law and order cannot be taken lightly.”
KK Saini, president of the Confederation of Greater Mohali Resident Welfare Associations, said authorities must strengthen background verification of migrant workers. “Verification should be done properly before they are allowed to work. The administration should issue a labour card, and a separate department should handle verification,” he said.
Earlier in 2024, Kumbra village witnessed a similar episode of violence when a migrant worker was accused of killing a local resident, deepening mistrust between communities.
www.hindustantimes.com
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