Bismee Taskin

Bystanders stood frozen while the shooting ended just as abruptly as it began. The Baleno, which had watched the ambush unfold, quietly drove away—as if a shadow vehicle, waiting to step in if men in the i20 failed to finish the job. Now in the intensive care unit of a private hospital, Honey, in his 30s, lies motionless. Tubes snake from his body into humming machines. Beside the bed stand his brother Pawandeep and their father, Malkir Singh. Their vigil has not ended for weeks.