Ludhiana: A local fast-track court has sentenced two men for the 2021 murder of a young man following a violent brawl at a birthday celebration that escalated over a dispute involving an iPhone.Additional sessions judge Sandeep Singh Bajwa convicted Mandeep Singh, of Dashmesh Nagar, and Harpreet Singh, of Dakha, for the killing of Randeep Singh. The court also imposed fines of ₹11,000 and ₹10,000 on the convicts, respectively.A Celebration Turned DeadlyThe incident occurred on Nov 13, 2021, when a group of friends gathered to celebrate a birthday. According to the prosecution, the group had cut a cake before moving to a local eatery at Hans Kalan village to continue the festivities. The atmosphere soured when members of the group pressured Mandeep Singh to give his old iPhone to the birthday boy as a gift. Influenced by alcohol, Mandeep and Harpreet began abusing their friends, leading to a physical altercation outside the venue.The Fatal AssaultThe victim’s brother, Ravinderjit Singh, testified that when the group tried to intervene in the fighting, Mandeep pulled a dagger-like knife from his waist. As Randeep Singh attempted to disarm Mandeep, Harpreet Singh allegedly pinned Randeep from behind, urging Mandeep to “teach him a lesson”.Mandeep stabbed Randeep in the right armpit. When the complainant and another friend, Lakhveer Singh, tried to help, Mandeep stabbed them in the waist and abdomen, respectively. The attackers fled the scene on motorcycles. Randeep Singh was moved to the civil hospital in Jagraon, where he succumbed to excessive bleeding.The VerdictThe Jagraon Sadar police initially booked the pair under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for murder, criminal intimidation, and voluntarily causing hurt. Despite the accused’s pleading false implication during the trial, the court found the evidence and eyewitness testimony from the survivors sufficient to secure a conviction. The police had presented a comprehensive chargesheet following the 2021 arrests, which led to the final sentencing this week.
