Navaratra mandal worker shot at in Mahalunge; cops search for trio

Pune: An argument during garba at a Navaratra mandal in Mahalunge turned violent on Saturday night when a 38-year-old mandal worker was shot at by a man and his two accomplices. One more worker sustained minor injuries after the trio hurled stones at him.
Nilesh Asati, a shop owner from Mahalunge, suffered bullet injuries near his chest. "The bullet ruptured his lung.Asati is in ICU, and doctors said his condition is stable," senior inspector Nitin Gite from Mahalunge MIDC police station told TOI. "We have ascertained the identities of the assailant and his two accomplices and hope to arrest them soon."
Gite said some mandal workers objected to a few persons, including the suspects, for dancing garba, claiming they were from outside. "Soon, a heated argument broke out between the workers and the suspects forcing organisers to stop the garba. This annoyed women who wanted to dance, and they even abused the suspects."
In the middle of the argument, one of the suspects took out a firearm and fired two bullets, the police officer said. "One bullet hit Asati, while the other hit the ground. His two accomplices pelted stones at people gathered there, injuring one."
Gite said the trio, who fled the spot after the incident, had been charged under section 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections of the Indian Arms Act.