A Delhi-based lawyer has been arrested and booked under various sections of IPC for allegedly firing at a crowd of over 30 people with his unlicensed pistol on Diwali night.

The police said the accused lawyer, Gaurav Bhaskar, 28, was driving a Santro car and was accompanied by his two friends — Sidharth Gandhi and Gautam Negi—at the time of the incident.

The trio was looking for place to consume alcohol, the police said.

According to the police, around 11.30 pm, Bhaskar stopped at Sudhar Camp in Southeast Delhi’s Kalkaji area and asked a resident to provide them three glasses and water. The resident, however, told them that they could not consume alcohol in the locality, following which Bhaskar asked the resident to direct them to the nearest place where they could drink, the police said.

“The person put his hand inside the car through the window to explain the directions to Bhaskar. During the conversation, however, Bhaskar rolled up the car window and the person’s hand got stuck. Over this an argument ensued between them and the accused trio got out and allegedly beat up the local,” a senior police officer told Newsline.

According to the police, the resident raised an alarm and hearing his shouts for help, the people of the locality rushed to his rescue. Sensing trouble, Negi fled from the area and managed to escape. Bhaskar, meanwhile, allegedly took out a pistol and fired at the crowd, the police said. The crowd, however, managed to overpower him before he could fire again and both Bhaskar and Gandhi were beaten up, the police said.

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