3, including gangster Jitendra Gogi, killed in firing at Rohini court in Delhi

Two men pretending to be lawyers opened fire at a rival gangster inside a courtroom in the national capital on Friday afternoon killing him, an incident that also led to a dramatic shootout in which police shot dead the attackers within minutes.

The incident, considered a massive security breach, appeared as if it were straight from a movie. Two men in lawyer's attire patiently waited for their target Jitender Mann 'Gogi', a wanted gangster who was brought to the court for a hearing, and pumped bullets into him as soon as he entered room 207 in Rohini Court.

Acting swiftly, a special team of Delhi Police, which had brought Gogi, an undertrial prisoner, to the court from the prison, opened fire at the two attackers, as a few panicky people present inside the courtroom scrambled for safety. The attackers, believed to be members of Gogi's rival gang led by Tllu Tajpuria, were killed on the spot.

An injured Gogi was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

"Police action was very swift. There are no reports of injuries to civilians. Two men wearing lawyers' uniforms attacked Gogi. The two also have been shot dead by police," Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said.

Though there is security checking for litigants entering the premises, lawyers do not undergo any screening. AAP Delhi MP Sanjay Singh tweeted, "Where are you, Home Minister, Amit Shah? A big incident has happened in the capital of the country. In the temple of justice, there are echoes of bullets."

Former IPS officer Dr NC Asthana tweeted, "More fundamental questions must be asked. How could a weapon be smuggled inside despite metal detectors in the first place? Responsibility to be fixed and complicity angle to be probed. Such incidents have taken place elsewhere too and probes never taken to logical conclusion."

Delhi Police officials said the Commissioner would review the security arrangements in the courts. A detailed report will be submitted soon on how the weapons reached the court premises, they said.

Gogi has over a dozen cases, including those of murder and extortion, registered against him in Delhi. A special team of Delhi Police has been taking Gogi for court hearings after one of his associates had fled from police custody while he was being brought to a court a few months ago.

Police officials said that Gogi and Tillu were rivals and had been running extortion rackets for years. Around a dozen belonging to both sides were killed in rivalry in the past six years. The rivalry between both Gogi and Tillu goes back several years with one version claiming that it started during their student days.

Tillu was arrested in 2015 and is presently lodged in Sonepat Jail. Gogi was arrested in March 2020 and was in custody since then.

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