Pregnant woman shot dead: Women activist calls for curbs on 'gun culture'

New Delhi [India], Dec.5 (ANI): A day after a drunk man shot a 22-year-old pregnant orchestra dancer after she refused to dance with him, the general secretary of National Federation of Indian Women, a Communist Party of India (CPI) backed organisation, Annie Raja, has said the government needs to immediately implement preventive measures to curb the rise of 'gun culture' which is being seen as a symbol of prestige in the country. "The parties which are so proud of culture and all those things, they must also think of the gun culture. It is usually seen as a status of symbol and prestige where it seen that people shoot darting marriage functions. The government must seriously think about this factor and here in this case the police should examine all the angles," Raja told ANI. Kulwinder Kaur, who was said to be carrying a two-month-old foetus, was shot dead at Jashn-e-Punjab Palace banquet hall in Mor Mandi area of Bathinda city in Punjab on Saturday night. She was shot while performing on stage at a wedding function when she refused to dance with the groom's brother who is said to have been drunk. Police, yesterday, acting upon a complaint filed by the victim's kin, booked four people in connection with the case. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Bhatinda told ANI that the accused was under influence of alcohol and a case was registered against four people, including the accused, his two friends and the owner of banquet hall. The victim's kin said that attempts were made by some to stop the young man from firing, but this failed. They demanded justice for the victim and stringent action against the accused. Station House Officer (SHO) Daljeet Singh told ANI: "The accused is on the run and we have registered a case under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police are looking out for him." (ANI)