A dispute over car parking and an old platform construction turned into a triple murder in Lucknow's Saadatganj police station area on Monday morning, sending shockwaves through the city.

Parking dispute turned into indiscriminate firing

The incident took place in Brahmin Tola of Naubasta, under Saadatganj police station. According to reports, the Tiwari and Shukla families had fought about one and a half months ago over the construction of a platform under a banyan tree in front of the house, a dispute that had reached the police station and halted the construction. On Monday morning at around 10 am, Suyash Tiwari parked his car near that platform. Soon after, when his uncle Shambhu Tiwari, who works at Lucknow University, came out of the house, a heated argument began with neighbour Rishabh Shukla over moving the car. Hearing the noise, former RSS district functionary Shivaji Tiwari also came out. In a fit of anger, Rishabh took out a pistol and fired at Shambhu and Shivaji. When Suyash rushed out of the house on hearing the gunfire, the accused shot him at very close range on the stairs near the house.

Three dead, including former RSS functionary

Shivaji Tiwari, 62, a retired secretariat employee and former RSS district functionary, and his businessman son Suyash Tiwari, 30, died on the spot. Shambhu alias Shivendra Tiwari, 55, who was seriously injured, died later at the trauma centre. Suyash ran an electrical goods business, and his wedding was fixed for December 5.

Brave constable Kartik Singh caught the accused

Constable Kartik Singh, who had reached the spot on information about a fight, showed remarkable courage and caught the accused, Rishabh Shukla, a dismissed Merchant Navy navigation officer, at the spot along with an illegal pistol as he tried to flee after the firing. Kartik Singh had earlier proved his bravery in the much-discussed Anu Anwar murder case in Saadatganj, when he caught the main shooter Sharif red-handed with a heavy weapon at the spot, for which the police administration had honoured him with a cash reward of Rs 20,000. Once again, by nabbing an armed accused in a horrific triple murder case through sheer unarmed courage, he has proved his bravery.

Police commissioner visits spot, heavy force deployed

On receiving information, Lucknow Police Commissioner Tarun Gaba reached the spot with senior officers and inspected it. Speaking to the media, he said that prima facie the sensational incident began with a dispute between the two neighbouring families over parking vehicles face to face. He said the accused Rishabh Shukla has been arrested with the pistol used in the crime. Forensic teams collected ballistic evidence, shells and fingerprints from the spot. As a precaution, 50 to 60 police personnel have been deployed in Naubasta Brahmin Tola, with strict guards posted outside the houses of both sides so that law and order remains fully under control.