Ludhiana: Football team assaulted for losing village-level tournament

Losing a village-level football tournament has cost dearer to youth of Pakhowal village as residents of the same village, said to be amateur football players and sports promoters, assaulted them with sharp-edged weapons and baseball bats.
Two of the youth suffered severe injuries and were admitted to hospital, while the rest of the players managed to escape.
The Sudhar police lodged an FIR against the accused, identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, Gurjit Singh, Manu and Amritpal Singh alias Amriti of Pakhowal. At least six of the accused are yet to be identified.
The FIR has been lodged on the statement of Harvir Singh of Pakhowal road. The complainant stated that their team went to Latala village to take part in a village-level football tournament. They lost the match.
“We were disappointed due to the defeat. We returned to the stadium of the village and were discussing to upgrade our skills. Meanwhile, the accused came there in different vehicles and opened attack on us with baseball bats and sharp-edged weapons,” the complainant said.
“While rest of the members of our team managed to escape, I along with another player Gurnam Singh were assaulted by the accused. The accused assaulted us brutally and escaped assuming us dead,” he added.
The complainant added that later his father Davinder Singh and uncle Jagwinder Singh rushed them to Raikot civil hospital.
ASI Subhash Chand, who is investigating the case, said that a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the IPC has been lodged against the accused.
The ASI said that the village has two football teams and both of them nursed rivalry against each other. Loss in the tournament instigated the rivalry again.