Saurabh Tomar, a 28-year-old soldier from the President’s Bodyguard, was shot in the head on Diwali night
MEERUT: An Army jawan serving in the elite President’s Bodyguard (PBG) regiment was allegedly shot in the head by two neighbours following an old rivalry in Baghpat district on Diwali night. The 28-year-old soldier underwent surgery at a Meerut hospital on Monday and was declared out of danger. His brother also suffered serious head injuries after being attacked with a stick. Police registered an attempt-to-murder case against the two accused, who remained at large. The jawan, Saurabh Tomar, 28, a member of the mounted unit of President’s Bodyguard stationed at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, was visiting his native village, Gopalpur Khadana. He and his brother Vineet, 28, were standing outside their house when two fellow villagers, Dheeraj and Monu, alias Praveen, allegedly confronted them. Both accused are sons of Inderpal and residents of the same village. Saurabh’s father, Janakraj Singh Tomar, 55, alleged that the accused, who harboured an old grudge against the family, arrived armed with a country-made pistol and a lathi. They began abusing the brothers, triggering an argument when the two objected. One of the accused then allegedly opened fire with the intention of killing them, but the bullet struck a nearby wall, ricocheted and hit Saurabh in the head. The accused also allegedly struck Vineet on the head with a stick before fleeing the spot, threatening to kill both brothers. Family members rushed the injured men to a hospital in Baraut, from where doctors referred Saurabh to Meerut due to his serious condition. He underwent surgery at a private hospital on Monday and was subsequently declared stable and out of danger. Following Janakraj’s complaint, Ramala police registered an FIR on Monday against Dheeraj and Monu under sections 109(1) (attempt to murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). TOI has a copy of the FIR. Ramala station house officer Rakesh Sharma told TOI that police had launched a search for the accused. “The accused are at large at the moment and our teams are continuously raiding their possible hideouts. We will nab the culprits soon,” he said. Saurabh’s uncle, Netrapal Tomar, said the jawan joined President’s Bodyguard in 2021 after meeting the regiment’s stringent physical requirements. Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, he qualified for the elite unit and was assigned to its mounted wing. “He was inducted into the regiment’s mounted unit,” Netrapal told TOI. President’s Bodyguard is the Indian Army’s senior-most regiment in the order of precedence. Based at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the cavalry unit performs ceremonial escort and security duties for President of India. Its personnel participate in mounted ceremonial displays and are also equipped with armoured vehicles for operational deployment.
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