A 22-year-old youth suffered bullet injury during a faction feud in Shakti Nagar of the Tibba area late Saturday night, after an old rivalry between the two groups escalated following internet banging and trolling on social media, police said.
Police have identified three accused involved in the violence. (HT File)
The injured youth, identified as Balraj Chauhan, sustained a bullet injury to his back and is undergoing treatment at Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), where his condition is stated to be stable.
His statement is yet to be recorded, police said.
The police have so far identified three accused — Kaka, Vishu and China — in connection with the incident and said cases would be registered against both the groups involved in the clash.
According to the police, the clash was not spontaneous but stemmed from a long-standing rivalry that had continued online, with members of both groups engaging in internet banging, trolling and provocative exchanges on Instagram posts and stories. Officials said these online interactions gradually intensified and eventually spilled onto the streets.
According to police, acting on the social media exchanges, members of both the groups gathered in Shakti Nagar around midnight, armed with knives and other sharp-edged weapons, while one group was also carrying a firearm. During the confrontation, a shot was fired, injuring Balraj.
The Tibba police were alerted after residents heard gunfire and rushed out of their homes.
Eyewitnesses told police that members of both the factions were seen wielding sharp weapons.
Sub-inspector Amarjit Singh, SHO of Tibba police station, said the rivalry between the two groups was old.
They had clashed earlier as well and that hostility continued online through internet banging and trolling before turning violent, he said.
“Kaka, one of the named accused, is already facing a firing-related case, while the criminal background of the other suspects is being verified. Further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses,” he added.