24 Hours. 2 Murders. Zero Arrests. What is Happening to Chandigarh?

CHANDIGARH — Fear has gripped the city of Chandigarh. In a small span of less than 24 hours, two brutal murders have taken place in the ‘safe’ city, leaving a trail of blood, a panicked community, and a million questions for a police force that seems unable to protect the people it is meant to. 

Residents are no longer just grieving a loss; they are angry. As bodies pile up in broad daylight and residential streets turn into hunting grounds, the people of Chandigarh are asking a heavy, terrifying question: Where are the police, and why are they letting us die?

The Slaughter of a 25-Year-Old

On Sunday night, the calm quiet night of Vikas Nagar in the Mauli Jagran Colony was shattered by screams of a dying young man. 

Tota, a young man just 25 years old with his entire life ahead of him, was hunted down like an animal.

Tota and his friend, Akash, were suddenly surrounded by a fearless mob of 10 to 12 assailants armed with knives and sharp-edged weapons. Horrifying CCTV footage of the incident has since surfaced online, capturing the absolute agony and terror of Tota’s final moments. The video shows the large group chasing the two friends. 

Tota tried desperately to run for his life, but the pack of killers caught up to him, threw him to the ground, and repeatedly, savagely struck him with their weapons.

“We heard sudden shouting and noise at night,” one traumatised local resident recalled, describing the atmosphere of absolute fear that now paralyzes the neighborhood. “When we came out, we saw several youths attacking two men. The entire scene was terrifying.”

By the time the attackers fled into the night, the damage was done. 

Tota was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival—his life stolen at just 25. 

His companion, Akash, survived the initial onslaught but was left with critical, life-threatening injuries. He is currently fighting for his life in a hospital bed.

The 50 Hours’ Agony

What makes Tota’s murder even more sickening is that it happened less than 24 hours after another brazen act of violence. 

On Saturday, Janaki Das—a dedicated cashier who had worked at the Kumar Medical Store in Sector 11 for 24 years—was shot dead in broad daylight. 

Janaki Das, a resident of Dalgaon, Rohru (Shimla, Himachal Pradesh), was simply doing his job when his life was suddenly taken from him.

Despite more than 50 hours passing since Janaki Das was gunned down, the police remain completely empty-handed. No arrests. No answers. Just promises.

And now, the killers of 25-year-old Tota are also walking free. 

While a forensic team has swept the Vikas Nagar crime scene for physical evidence and Mauli Jagran Police Station In-charge (SHO) Jaskaran Singh claims they are investigating “old rivalry and personal disputes,” the stark reality remains: the criminals executed a public execution in a residential locality and vanished without a trace.

“Law and Order Is Dead”

The sheer boldness of these back-to-back crimes has shattered the public's trust in the authorities. The law and order situation in Chandigarh has deteriorated into absolute chaos, with continuous firing and murders turning residential streets into danger zones.

Local residents are furious, pointing out that the police's failure to capture criminals has bred a culture of absolute fearlessness in these criminals. Terrified citizens are now demanding an immediate increase in police patrolling and a complete overhaul of the city's security arrangements.

“If criminals are not captured timely, such incidents will rise,” warned a local resident.

For now, Chandigarh police say they are “scanning CCTV footage” and assure the public that the accused will be arrested soon. But for the family of a 45             -year medical store cashier, and for the loved ones of a 25-year-old boy whose blood still stains the concrete of Mauli Jagran, those assurances ring hollow. The streets are bleeding, the public is living in terror, and the authorities are running out of time to prove they can protect the people they swore to serve.