MUMBAI: In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a shooting took place at megastar Shah Rukh Khan's Bandra residence, 'Mannat'.

Officials have said Shah Rukh's guard Sandeep Vijaysingh (also reported to be Chandrapratap Singh and Chandraprakash Singh) riled his colleague Yatendra Chauhan (also reported to be Yatendra Singh Chauhan and Hitendrasingh Chauhan) so much that the latter pulled a gun on the man and shot him pointblank in the chest.

There have been a variety of stories regarding the reason for the shooting.

According to one agency the altercation was about a nap. The Mumbai Mirror claims, "According to a source, Chauhan had an argument with Vijaysingh at around 12:20 am over who would have a nap first. When Chauhan refused to allow Vijaysingh to sleep before him, Vijaysingh started arguing with him. The duo then came out of gate number 2 of the bungalow where Vijaysingh reportedly challenged Chauhan to open fire at him after Chauhan pointed his revolver towards him."

Another reports the reason as, "Officials said Shah Rukh's guard Chandrapratap Singh riled his colleague Yatendra Chauhan about his inefficiency despite taking home a fatter pay cheque and also jested about the latter's .32 bore revolver, provoking Chauhan, who fled the spot after shooting."

Adding, "Singh and Lakhan were patrolling the area behind the bungalow around 12.20am on Tuesday when Chauhan, who was sitting on a chair, dozed off for a while. It was then that Singh allegedly said Chauhan, despite taking home a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, slept on the job. He then made fun of Chauhan's gun, wondering whether the 'rusted' gun 'actually worked'."

Another report claims the reason to be similar to the above, "The police remand application says Yatendra Singh Chauhan, 28, lost his temper when Chandrapratap Singh, 22, tried to boss over him late on Monday night. 'You get a salary of Rs 15,000; so, don't sit at one place. Keep patrolling', Singh apparently told Chauhan, reads the remand. When Chauhan did not react, Singh allegedly asked him "tera revolver bhi chalta hai kya". At this Chauhan fired a shot from his revolver hitting Singh on the chest."

While another says "Singh and Lakhan were patrolling the area behind the bungalow around 12.20am on Tuesday when Chauhan, who was sitting on a chair, dozed off for a while.

It was then that Singh allegedly said Chauhan, despite taking home a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, slept on the job. He then made fun of Chauhan's gun, wondering whether the 'rusted' gun 'actually worked'. A furious Chauhan put his gun on Singh's chest after removing two of six bullets and saying 'this is how my gun works', pumped a bullet into Singh's chest."

It seems, despite conflicting reports, the basis of the dispute was that Vijaysingh was taunting Chauhan and ultimately, the latter chose a wholly inappropriate solution.

Vijaysingh, an unarmed guard, was patrolling the area behind the bungalow with Chauhan and another Topsgrup Security guard, Sandeep Lakhan; their supervisor, Baburao Naik, and a constable from Bandra police station were manning the security post at the front gate.

During the patrol the dispute took place and Chauhan put the revolver to the thirty-two-year-old Vijaysingh's chest, pulled the trigger and fired a round into Vijaysingh at about 12.20am, who slumped to the ground.

The killing was executed in typical filmi style with Chauhan choosing to remove two of six cartridges — akin to Gabbar Singh in 'Sholay' — before shooting Vijaysingh.

Some reports yesterday said the bullet was fired accidentally, leading to the guard's death. It has since been determined that this was not an accident, although not premeditated, it was indeed intended.

As Vijaysingh slumped to the ground, Sandeep Lakhan, on hearing the shot and seeing Vijaysingh, called his supervisor, Naik, on the intercom. The policeman at the front gate and Lakhan tried to detain Chauhan, but he fled. The police later picked him up near his residence at Goregaon. Bandra police arrested Yatendra Singh Chauhan and booked him for murder.

"Vijaysingh poked fun at Chauhan, saying he earned a salary of Rs 15,000 per month for just sitting in a chair. He also said he doubted whether the revolver Chauhan was carrying could actually be used. In a fit of rage, Chauhan placed his .32 bore revolver on Vijaysingh's chest and fired a shot, killing him on the spot," said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone IX, V K Chaube. Vijaysingh was rushed to Bhabha Hospital but was declared dead before admission, Choube said. "We formed separate teams immediately and one of our teams nabbed Chauhan from Goregaon while he was heading home. The residents of the bungalow were present at the time of the incident. We shall now find out the motive behind the shooting," Choube added.

Vijaysingh was rushed to Bhabha Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body was taken to J J Hospital for a post-mortem.

Chauhan was the only armed guard, with an all-India licence issued from Uttar Pradesh. He moved to Mumbai only a fortnight ago.

Vijaysingh, a resident of a slum near Bandra Bandstand, reported for duty at 8 pm on Monday along with the others, officials said.

"He was a jolly man. He lived with his wife Kiran and two children near Mount Mary Church. Originally from Allahabad, he had been posted at Shah Rukh's bungalow for the past four months and had worked at Global Systems as a guard before that," said Vijaysingh's brother-in-law Pankaj Dwivedi.

As a result of the incident, the police have expressed concern over the recruitment procedure of Topsgrup Security, saying the agency should have checked out Chauhan's background.

"Chauhan had come to Mumbai from Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh on July 27. It is surprising that Tops posted him at Shah Rukh's bungalow so soon without checking his antecedents. Chauhan had come from an area known to be home to criminal elements," said Additional Commissioner of Police, Western Region, Bipin Bihari.

However, Topsgrup Security officials claimed that the agency had stringent recruitment guidelines in place.

"We are an ISO-certified organisation. Before recruiting, we always check for any criminal records. Besides our internal audits, we submit verification forms to the police. We have submitted Chauhan's papers to the police, including the licence for his revolver," said Ramesh Iyer, director (Guarding), Topsgrup Security.

Following the incident, officials in Mumbai Police's Protection Department said Shah Rukh's security had been increased. However, he does not fall into any of the 'categorised protection' brackets-Z+, Z, Y or X, and has been given 'non-categorised protection'.

Shah Rukh was inside the Bandra seaside bungalow when the incident occurred around 12.20 am and at the time it was still concidered and accident. "I had just returned from a TV show when I got to know about the accident," he said.

Topsgrup placed the guards for the actor's security in addition to the police cover given to him.

Vijaysingh has been working with the security company for the past four years; Chauhan was inducted in July this year. According to Anil Khannar, director of Tops security, the company has been providing security to Shah Rukh Khan for a year and positions one armed and two unarmed guards at his residence.

"Chauhan had an arms licence while Singh did not possess one. So Chauhan was given a revolver," Khanna said. When asked what category of guards were provided to VIPs like Khan, Khanna said, "All our guards are well-trained. Every guard is verified before his induction. We have all details about the two involved in the incident. But we would not to like to comment at the moment as investigations are on."

According to Khanna, Chauhan stayed with one of his cousins in Hanuman Nagar on I B Patel Road in Goregaon (E) and Vijaysingh stayed with his wife in a nearby area. Both were from Uttar Pradesh.

Chauhan was produced in Bandra court on Tuesday that remanded him to police custody till August 22. Meanwhile, Chaube said that since the incident had happened outside Khan's bungalow, the actor had nothing to do with it. Police security provided to Shah Rukh Khan was increased following Tuesday's incident.

Regional additional commissioner Bipin Bihari said investigators were likely to question the top brass of Topsgrup, including chairman-cum-managing director Rahul Nanda.

"How could Topsgrup management have engaged a novice like Chauhan to guard a celebrity without verifying his credentials well?" he asked.

Chauhan came from a UP village close to Chambal ravines and investigators were probing where he got the revolver from, he added.

"Several VIPs engage private security apart from the police cover granted to them. But this incident shows the risk posed by this practice," a senior official added. Reacting to the incident, Nanda said: "It is an unfortunate incident. It is actually an accident.

It can happen anywhere, in any organisation. We condemn the incident but we will help the deceased person's family in every possible way."

According to Nanda, "It was a pure accident. Bullets going off accidentally are not new. It has happened with the police too. We have 45,000 personnel working for our company all over India and we have a brilliant record." He also disputed the police's statement that the agency had advised the Khans not to call the police. "I, in fact , told Shah Rukh he should report it to the police. Why should we object? I immediately sent our company's ambulance vehicle to the spot," he claimed.

Chauhan's credentials, he said, were checked, including necessary police verifications.

"He had an all-India licensed revolver. We never came across any adverse track record. If any mishap happens, how can you put the blame on the employing authorities," Nanda asked. Police however do not buy the accident theory and say that Chauhan was trying to run away when he was caught at his house.

Police also seized a loaded revolver from his house. The gun and five bullets have been sent to the forensic laboratory for ballistic analysis. Police have collected blood samples from the spot and sent them to the laboratory for chemical analysis.

As the courts were closed on Tuesday, Independence Day, Chauhan was produced in the Bandra holiday special metropolitan magistrate's court. Chauhan, in a green T-shirt, sat quietly as the judge remanded him in police custody till August 22. Chauhan's counsel Nitin Satpute moved a bail application saying, "Police arrested him based on suspicion. There is no direct evidence against him. He has been falsely implicated."

It is learnt that following the incident, Khan apparently discontinued services of the private security agency after senior police officials today offered him police security cover.

Senior Mumbai Police officials, who met the Bollywood actor at his residence today, convinced him the police security cover was necessary and that it was far more reliable than private security agencies, sources said.

"We have already been tipped by intelligence agencies that iconic personalities could be next target of terrorists. Although Shah Rukh was not in the list, one cannot rely on security agencies like the one Khan had," a senior police official said.

Additional Police Commissioner (West Region) Bipin Bihari expressed surprise at the manner in which the private security agency had recruited the guards.

"The accused had come to Mumbai just 10 days ago and it is surprising how the agency decided to post the novice to the residence of an important person without verifying his antecedents," Bihari said.

Chauhan was recruited because he owned the gun and had a valid licence, the official said, adding police would seek details from the security agency on its procedures of recruiting people and the antecedents of its staff.

Meanwhile, Karuna, executive assistant to Khan told a paper on Tuesday evening that star was having a normal day. "Today is Independence day. So it's a holiday. He is helping the police in their investigations," she said.