On Saturday, the Punjab Police arrested Maninder Pal Singh Monty in connection with the death of 39-year-old scientist Dr. Abhishek Swarnkar, who died after an altercation over parking in Mohali’s Sector 67.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night when Monty allegedly pushed Dr. Swarnkar, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, to the ground and punched him during a parking dispute near the scientist’s rented accommodation. Swarnkar, who had recently undergone a kidney transplant and was undergoing dialysis, was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Swarnkar’s family has demanded strict action against Monty, who fled the scene after the incident. The police have filed a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and are reviewing CCTV footage to gather more evidence. Monty will be presented in court on Sunday.
In an emotional interview with NDTV, Swarnkar’s mother, Malti Devi, accused Monty and his family of consistently harassing them over parking. “They regularly bothered us, saying, ‘Don’t park here, don’t park there,’” she explained. The altercation on Tuesday night began when Swarnkar parked his bike, and Monty asked him to move it. An argument ensued, and Monty allegedly shouted, “Tu complain karega?” before pushing Swarnkar. The scientist’s mother said Swarnkar, already weakened by his health condition, collapsed soon after.
The IISER issued a statement mourning the loss of “a brilliant mind” and demanding strict legal action against the accused. The institute also highlighted that Swarnkar had been selected by the Department of Science and Technology to meet Nobel Laureates in 2017 and had recently published a research paper in the prestigious Journal of Science.
Originally from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, Swarnkar had recently returned from Switzerland and joined IISER as a project scientist.
