Caught performing stunts to satiate his desire for social media likes, the son of a police officer rammed into – and tried to run over – an assistant commissioner of police and an inspector, and managed to flee. The shocking incident occurred in Gurugram on January 16, in front of the accused’s police officer father, and a case was also registered the next day, but no arrests have been made so far.

Police officials said ACP (Crime) Varun Dhaiya and a police inspector from the Crime Branch were on their way to conduct a raid on the night of January 16 when they came across the accused and his friends performing stunts in a Scorpio in the Garhi Harsaru area of Gurugram. The ACP and the inspector flagged down the Scorpio, detained the man and informed his father, a special police officer. 

The man’s father reached the spot and slapped him two to four times. Enraged, the man got into the Scorpio, started the engine and sped towards Mr Dahiya and the inspector with the intention of running them over, an official said. 

The officers managed to step back but sustained injuries after the SUV hit them, while the man sped away. Mr Dahiya said a First Information Report has been registered at the Gurgaon Sector 10 police station on January 17 and efforts are on to arrest the accused. He did not reveal the man’s identity. 

‘Serial Offender’

Officials, however, pointed out that earlier videos of the man and his friends performing stunts on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway have also gone viral. They claimed that he is a serial offender.

In a viral video, which has a soundtrack of Punjabi and Haryanvi songs, a Fortuner is seen speeding in the reverse gear in the middle of a three-lane stretch of road. The accused’s Scorpio – which has flashing lights on the bonnet – is then seen crisscrossing with another car at high speeds, and the cars barely miss each other every time their paths are about to intersect.

The video cuts to the accused gesturing to the camera and then another cut shows him walking in style towards the Scorpio. The final part of the video shows the Scorpio coming to an abrupt halt across two lanes of what appears to be a highway and then being surrounded by other cars, blocking the road. 

Asked about similar videos going viral, Mr Dahiya said, “We get information about such videos in which youngsters are seen performing stunts and violating traffic rules on different routes, including the Dwarka Expressway and Mumbai Expressway. They are identified and strict action is taken against such people.”

“I would like to warn people who indulge in such acts or film them that stringent action will be taken against them,” he added.

Independent candidates linked to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan were leading the count in Pakistan’s election, local TV channels said Friday.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was barred from contesting Thursday’s election as a bloc, but unofficial tallies by local TV channels showed independent candidates — including dozens anointed by his party — leading in the most constituencies.

The first official result — the seat going to a PTI candidate — was announced shortly after 4:30 am (2330 GMT) more than 11 hours after polling ended.

The TV stations were basing their projections on counting done at the local constituency level.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been expected to win the most seats following Thursday’s vote, with analysts saying its 74-year-old founder Nawaz Sharif had the blessing of the military-led establishment.

But local TV channels said the party had performed poorly –- with Sharif trailing his opponent in one of the constituencies he contested.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Four people are dead and 250 were injured in widespread violence over the demolition of an illegal madrasa and an adjoining mosque in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani. The incident, which unfolded on Thursday, has left the city under curfew, with shoot-at-sight orders issued against rioters and internet services completely shut down. Schools are also shut in light of the violence.

The confrontation reached a boiling point when a team of government officials, accompanied by a significant police presence, attempted to raze the structures following a court order. The authorities had deemed the madrasa and mosque illegal, leading to their demolition. However, this move was met with fierce resistance from a mob in the Vanbhulpura area of Haldwani.

The clash resulted in over 50 policemen being injured, with several administration officials, municipal workers, and journalists also caught in the crossfire. The mob, described as “unruly elements,” pelted stones at the officials, prompting the police to retaliate with tear gas. The violence escalated as vehicles outside the police station were set om fire, further deteriorating the law and order situation.

The demolitions carried out with a heavy police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) presence, aimed to clear government land allegedly encroached upon by the madrasa and mosque. Senior Superintendent of Police Prahlad Meena said the demolitions complied with a court order.

As the bulldozer razed the structures, enraged residents, including women, took to the streets in protest. Breaking barricades and engaging in heated confrontations with the police, the situation escalated rapidly. Mobs then hurled stones at law enforcement, municipal workers, and journalists, resulting in injuries and damage to property. The mob also targeted more than 20 motorcycles and set ablaze a PAC-2 bus. 

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, responding to the incident, stated that the team had been dispatched to carry out the demolition after a court order. The Chief Minister stressed that “anti-social elements” in the area had clashed with the police, leading to the current situation. Additional police and central forces are being deployed to restore order, and the Chief Minister has appealed to the public to maintain peace.

Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Upadhyay claimed that the madrasa and namaz site were illegal, highlighting that the Haldwani civic body had previously seized three acres of nearby land and sealed the structures. The Chief Minister, in a meeting with senior officials, discussed the imposition of prohibitory orders and the necessity for a shoot-at-sight policy against rioters to control the escalating unrest.

As a precautionary measure, a curfew has been imposed across Haldwani, resulting in the closure of all shops and schools in the affected areas. The situation remains tense, with the Chief Minister urging officials to deal sternly with “anarchic elements.” The injured are undergoing treatment at Soban Singh Jeena Hospital, with most suffering head and face injuries.

The Uttarakhand High Court had a hearing on Thursday on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to halt the demolition. The court, however, did not grant relief, and the demolition continued. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on February 14.