A row over a barking dog led to an altercation between two groups of youth watching the nail-biting India-Australia T20 World Cup match on Sunday night. It ended with the death of a final year B.Com student and injuries to two others.
Avinash Jonathan, son of Shankar and a resident of S.K. Garden, was allegedly stabbed with a broken beer bottle by 24-year-old John Kennedy, his neighbour. Avinash was a B.Com final year student in Bishop’s Cotton College.
Some people were watching the match on a big screen erected on 3rd Cross in S.K. Garden. Avinash, his brother Arvind and their friends objected when John brought his dog to the venue.
Around 10.30 p.m. when the match was heading towards the climax, the dog started barking. Avinash and his friends asked John to leave the place. It started with a heated argument, which led to a fist fight in which John was at the receiving end.
John left the spot but returned with his friends. The groups clashed again on the street. In the melee, John stabbed Avinash with a broken beer bottle while David and Kenneth, who intervened, sustained minor injuries. Passers-by rushed the profusely bleeding Avinash to a nearby hospital. He was shifted to Bowring Hospital but succumbed to injuries.
The J.C. Nagar police have registered a case of murder and attempt to murder. They have arrested John and are on the lookout for the others who ganged up with him to attack Avinash and his friends.
