Shah Rukh’s sentry shoots fellow guard

MUMBAI: In a dramatic incident, a security guard shot his colleague outside film star Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow late on Monday night.

Yatendra Singh Chauhan has been arrested for shooting Chandra Pratap Singh. Singh died on the way to hospital. Police said the shooting took place after an altercation between the two, and raises serious questions about private security agencies operating in the city.

“How come a man who came to Mumbai only 15 days ago — and who is so mentally unstable that he can shoot another person — was posted by a private security firm on such a high-profile detail?” said a shocked Bipin Bihari, additional commissioner of police (West). “We had stepped up Khan’s security recently following reports of terrorists targeting some big personalities in the city, including Khan.”

Bihari said the accused, given his mental state, could have trained his gun on the actor himself in other circumstances.

Chauhan hails from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh and had a licensed revolver. His background was not subjected to police verification in Mumbai.

Police said Tops (the private security firm that had hired Chauhan) tried to persuade the Khan household to keep the police off the case. Tops officials reportedly told the Khans that they would take care of the ‘minor incident’. “But a police team had reached the spot within minutes,” a senior investigating officer said.  “Shah Rukh was home at the time and fully co-operated with us.”

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