NRI student death: Two accused move court for bail

New Delhi: Two of the six accused arrested in connection with the death of NRI student Anmol Sarna after a party at a friend's house, on Saturday moved a Delhi court seeking bail.

Madhav Bhandari and Pranil Shah, both Anmol's friends, moved a plea before Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri seeking bail after the magisterial court had dismissed their applications saying the allegation against them are very serious in nature. The court will hear the applications on Monday.

Besides Madhav and Pranil, Anmol's two other friends Shivank Gambhir and Ritham Girhotra who all were partying together on the night of September 17 when the incident occurred are presently lodged in Tihar Jail till October 14. Two security guards   Surender Bali and Naresh Mishra who thrashed Anmol at the South Park Apartments in Kalkaji area in south Delhi are also in judicial custody till October 14 in connection with the case.

Earlier, the magisterial court had denied bail to the six accused, saying the probe is at an initial stage and the allegations against them are very serious in nature. Nine persons were earlier arrested in connection with the case, but three were later granted bail. Initially, police had arrested six persons, including the two guards who have been accused of murder, whereas the four friends, have been booked under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Later on September 20, police arrested three more persons for allegedly helping the NRI's friends in procuring drugs consumed during the party night. The three were later granted bail. Anmol, who had completed his high school from New York, was to return to Canada for further studies but died in a scuffle after a drug party organised in Pranil's Kalkaji flat on September 17 night. Police had said that Anmol and his friends had consumed drugs in Pranil's bedroom around 9 PM.

Around midnight, as the drugs took effect, Anmol allegedly started screaming and turned violent, smashing an LCD television set and damaging some other articles, it had said. Anmol was allegedly thrashed by the guards for creating a ruckus in the complex. Around 2am, Sarna was found bleeding in the apartment complex. He later died in hospital.