New Delhi, Nov. 24 (PTI): Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, the sacked Uttarakhand Minority Commission chairman, shot Ponty Chadha’s brother Hardeep, police have told the court.

Namdhari, who accompanied Ponty to the Chattarpur farmhouse where the shootout occurred last Saturday, has confessed that he shot Hardeep from his pistol after the younger Chadha brother pointed a gun at him, the police said.

The defence counsel contested the claim, pointing out that Namdhari had filed the FIR in the case and rushed Ponty to hospital.

After arguments from both sides, metropolitan magistrate Sandeep Garg sent Namdhari, arrested yesterday, to five days’ police custody.

“The investigating agencies should be given an opportunity for their endeavour to recover the weapon used in the crime,” he said. “In view of the same, accused is remanded in police custody for five days till November 28.”

The police also accused Namdhari of being involved in vandalising the farmhouse, besides committing loot, robbery and attempt to murder.

The investigating agency said he is the main culprit and that, in his FIR, he had not disclosed the firing and had hidden his gun.

Coming out of the court premises, Namdhari said: “I don’t want to talk more on this case. I just want to say that it was just an accident and the FIR was lodged by me in this case. I called police myself…. It is wrong to say that I fired. It is a matter of investigation.”

While seeking his custody, the cops told the court Namdhari was Ponty’s frontman. “Many other persons are also involved in this case and there is a deep-rooted conspiracy,” public prosecutor Manoj Choudhary said.