Old rivalry comes to boil in Bhuj, man shot in leg

Rajkot: A man got injured in his leg when three assailants fired at the car he was travelling in near Chaki Jamatkhana in Bhid Naka locality of Bhuj on Sunday afternoon. Police suspect old rivalry between two groups to be the reason behind the crime.
Police said the victim, identified as Ismaeel Juma Hingorja, was in his car when the accused, identified also as Ismaeel and his aides, arrived in an SUV and opened fire at the car.
“The accused shot four bullets at the car, one of which hit Hingroja in his leg. He was taken to GK General Hospital by his nephew Sameer. After firing, the accused fled the spot, abandoning their SUV which was vandalized by the mob gathered at the spot,” said an official from Bhuj B-Division police station.
Police believe that the attack is a fallout of old enmity between the supporters of ex-Congress corporator Hamid Bhatti and the family members of Hingroja.
Earlier, on March 27, Bhatti was seriously injured in an attack by a group of 15 assailants who intercepted his SUV and attacked him near the gate of Kutch University in Bhuj.
Earlier on the night of December 23 last year, three assailants, identified as Hingorja and his brothers — Yunus and Ayub — had opened fire on Bhatti’s house.
Police said the trio was relatives of notorious criminal Mohsin Hingorja and former members of the banned organization Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).