A 28-year-old marketing professional was shot dead outside his house following a heated parking argument with three brothers from his neighbourhood in Amritsar’s Anand Avenue locality on Chabhal Road on Friday night.
The victim, Amit Sabharwal, had just arrived home and parked his scooter when the attack occurred. The accused, identified as Abhi Shah, Sunny Shah and Hritik Shah, are on the run.
The minor verbal exchange quickly turned ugly. Amit was rushed to a nearby private hospital by his family, but succumbed to the bullet wounds. Multiple police raids are underway to apprehend the accused. The victim’s family expressed deep anguish, emphasising that Amit had no prior personal animosity with anyone, and demanded immediate, stringent action against the perpetrators. The brazen killing triggered a political row. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravneet Singh Bittu took to social media to condemn the incident, asserting that the law and order situation in the state had completely collapsed. Pointing to the recent spate of murders in the state, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia slammed the AAP government and demanded chief minister Bhagwant Mann take action against the deteriorating law and order. Here too, like the Amritsar youth, the argument erupted over the parking of the victim’s two-wheeler. The accused, an IT engineer, was arrested by the police four days later.
In a similar case of urban rage, a 39-year-old researcher at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, died after being punched in the chest by a neighbour over parking in March 2025.
The victim’s father, Sunil Sabharwal, told police that as his son arrived home and parked his Honda Activa, the three brothers demanded that he move his scooter aside. Police said during the ensuing altercation, Abhi Shah allegedly drew a pistol and fired five or six rounds at Amit, inflicting injuries to critical areas, including the head. Gate Hakima station house officer (SHO) Baljinder Singh said law enforcement agencies were reviewing surrounding CCTV footage to map the exact sequence of events.
