A 39-year-old scientist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, succumbed to injuries following an altercation with a neighbour over a parking dispute in Sector 67.
The deceased, Dr Abhishek Swarnkar, was allegedly pushed to the ground and assaulted by his neighbour, identified as Monty, on Tuesday night.
Originally from Dhanbad in Jharkhand, Dr Swarnkar was a distinguished scientist whose work had been featured in international journals.
He had previously worked in Switzerland and had returned to India to join IISER as a project scientist.
He had recently undergone a kidney transplant, with his sister donating a kidney, and was undergoing dialysis.
The dispute erupted near Dr Swarnkar’s rented residence when he attempted to park his two-wheeler. CCTV footage shows local residents, including Monty, gathered near his vehicle.
As the scientist approached and attempted to move his bike, an argument ensued. The footage then shows Monty allegedly pushing Dr Swarnkar to the ground and assaulting him before their families intervened.
Following the attack, Dr Swarnkar was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
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His mother, Malti Devi, recounted the harrowing events leading up to her son’s death. “They regularly bothered us, ‘don’t park here, don’t park there.’ He (Abhishek) returned from IISER (that night) and parked his bike. They asked him to remove it, and there was an argument. My son came upstairs, and they shouted, ‘We will blow up the bike.’ I told them, ‘It is in front of you, blow it up.’ My son got agitated. My husband was downstairs talking to them. My son went downstairs, moved his bike to show them how difficult it would be to take it out if he parked where they wanted him to,” she said.
According to the scientist’s mother, the family had moved into the neighbourhood in December 2023 and had faced continuous harassment regarding parking.
“We did not know the system then, that people park right outside their homes. My son kept moving his bike from one spot to another as some or the other person asked him to. We felt harassed that no matter where the bike was parked, someone had a problem,” she said.
She further stated that her son had warned the neighbours that he would lodge a complaint regarding the harassment.
“He (Monty) started shouting, ‘Tu complain karega?’ and pushed him hard. My son was a patient. We took him to the hospital. They said he had died,” she added.
Mohali police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and are scanning CCTV footage as part of their investigation.
The accused, Monty, is currently on the run, and police are conducting raids to apprehend him. Authorities have also begun tracking his phone for his whereabouts.
In recent months, videos of altercations over parking spaces in Delhi and other metropolitan cities have frequently surfaced online.
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