New Delhi: Five police personnel and a home guard were allegedly stabbed by a 29-year-old man identified as Bharat Bhati inside the Cyber Cell Police Station in Delhi’s Shahdara area Wednesday afternoon.
A constable who was stabbed in the chest is critical while four others are said to be in a stable condition. The home guard sustained multiple stab wounds.
According to police, Bhati came as a complainant to the station and started attacking the staff with a sharp weapon. He was subsequently overpowered by the personnel posted at the police station.
“The man came armed with a knife and went to the third floor where he launched the attack. There was commotion inside the building as many of them ran for shelter. He was then nabbed by the policemen on the spot,” a senior police officer told ThePrint.
Bhati, according to police, has studied till Class 12 and is a resident of Shahdara.
“It appears that he came to the police station to file a complaint but then he whipped out a sharp weapon and started attacking police personnel. Everyone was in shock as it was completely unexpected. We are questioning him on the motive, as it is still unclear why he did that,” the officer added.
A statement released by the Delhi Police Public Relations Office said, “He stabbed all the five police personnel and a home guard. One police personnel has been shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Center and the others sent to GTB Hospital. All of them are under treatment.”
“The accused has been nabbed and is being interrogated. Further investigation in the matter is underway,” the statement further said.
The police also noted that the weapon used in the attack has been recovered and they are in the process of registering an FIR in the matter.
According to sources in the police, the accused Bharat Bhati walked into the station and went to the third floor on the pretext of filing a complaint but gave nothing in writing.
“He didn’t reveal anything, just kept yelling that the police don’t help people. He also started recording,” a source said.
One police personnel said the attacker yelled he would “kill them all”.
“Head constable Deepak approached the man about his complaint but he didn’t reveal any information and instead started shooting a video making derogatory remarks about the police. When Deepak tried to stop him, the attacker got aggressive and pulled out a kitchen knife from his pocket and started stabbing Deepak,” a police personnel said.
The cop narrated that Bhati attacked another head constable Amit, who rushed to help Deepak.
“On the way, he was confronted by the home guard Ravi and Constable Naresh. He attacked them too, and tried to escape from the ground floor. Here constable Sunil again attempted to overpower him but he stabbed him on the chest multiple times. Constable Naresh was also injured in the attack,” he added.
“After the attack, the accused started threatening the cops not to come near him by pointing the knife at his throat. He then hit his head against the wall,” a senior police officer said.
R. Sathiyasundaram, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara), said Bhati, who attacked five policemen and one home guard, was overpowered by the force while trying to flee.
“After the commotion, he tried escaping from the station but the sentry closed the gates on time. He was overpowered and the knife was seized,” Sathiyasundaram added.
During the interrogation, it was revealed that Bhati lost his parents a few years ago. He also had a history of drug abuse, sources said.
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