Kasol: Panic gripped Kasol in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Saturday evening after a dispute between tourists and locals at the Green Valley Hotel escalated into a shooting that left one person injured.
Police said an argument between tourists from Punjab and residents inside the Green Valley earlier in the day flared up into a brawl later in the evening.
During the scuffle, a tourist allegedly fired a weapon, striking a local in the leg and rendering him unconscious. According to reports, the locals rushed him to the hospital.
The incident, which has since gone viral on social media, unfolded in full public view as tourists, shopkeepers and local residents watched. Videos circulating online purportedly show an armed tourist openly waving a pistol on the street moments after the firing.
The sound of gunshot sent tourists, locals and shopkeepers scrambling for cover, while some people tended to the injured youth. Given that the shooting occurred in one of Himachal Pradesh’s most frequented tourist spots, it intensified worries among visitors and small-business owners.
His companions reportedly restrained him after he reloaded and attempted to shoot again, eyewitnesses said. Locals then called the police, who detained four Punjab residents: Manpreet Singh, 29, from Tarn Taran, Aman Randhawa, 22, from Amritsar, Sukhmandeep Singh, 17, from Ferozepur, and Karndeep Singh, 22, from Gurdaspur.
The man accused of firing, named Taman from Gurdaspur, remains untraced and police are on the lookout for him. Police are also hunting for the firearm used in the incident and probing the motive behind the confrontation.
Police vowed strict action against those responsible.
