You park, I shoot
It was a dispute over parking that made the frontpages of every Delhi newspaper. The police, however, claim that the media blew a minor dispute between neighbours into a violent fight over parking space.
Jatin Arora's family have lived at S-210 in Panchsheel Park, a posh south Delhi locality, for more than 30 years. A few years ago, the Aroras, who run a construction business, built flats there. Arora's uncle, who had the first floor, sold it about three years ago to Rajeev Bharadwaj, a senior manager with the Container Corporation of India. The second floor was bought by another family. Bharadwaj and Arora had had a dispute over the renting out of the basement, which soured their relationship.
On March 29, Bharadwaj, who owns a Maruti Zen, bought a second car, a Honda City. Arora has three cars: a Mitsubishi Lancer, a Maruti Swift, and a Maruti 800.Arora says he had asked Bharadwaj to park the bigger Honda outside the gate leaving clear the passageway to the staircase: "I park my bigger Lancer along the road outside. I asked him to do the same.' But Bharadwaj parked the Honda inside the gate. On March 30, Arora returned at 11 pm in his Swift and parked it in front of the gate. Bharadwaj, who was standing there with his servant Uday, asked him to park elsewhere. Arora refused. An altercation ensued, and Arora says Bharadwaj assaulted him with the butt of his licensed gun. Arora ran to the first floor, where Bharadwaj opened fire. The police were called and a case registered against Bharadwaj, while Arora was taken to hospital. He suffered a hairline fracture in his jaw, and the tear gland in his right eye got crushed, requiring surgery.
Bharadwaj was arrested and released on bail. His family registered a case against Arora for outraging the modesty of a woman. Arora says there was no reason for the altercation except the parking dispute. "While he and I weren't on the best of terms, relations were normal. Our kids used to play together