The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday, 23 December, admitted thata civilian Mohammad Suleman died after he was shot by constable Mohit Kumar in “self-defence”.
The 20-year-old was allegedly shot dead during a Citizenship Amendment Act protest in Bijnor, reported The Indian Express.
Speaking to the newspaper Bijnor Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Tyagi said:
“One cartridge was retrieved from Suleman’s body. The ballistic report confirms that this was shot from the service pistol of Mohit Kumar. Mohit Kumar also suffered a bullet injury. The bullet taken from Mohit Kumar’s stomach was found to be shot from a country-made weapon.”
Suleman, who was preparing for UPSC exams in Noida, had returned home since he was “down with high fever.”
Mohit, the cop who shot him, is reportedly recovering in a private hospital in Bijnor.
The newspaper, quoting the police, reported that the mob snatched Sub-Inspector Ashish’s pistol during the protest. Constables, including Mohit, chased the mob.
“When Mohit got close to Suleman, the latter opened fire with his country-made pistol. A bullet hit Mohit’s stomach. In reply, Mohit also fired from his service pistol and the bullet hit Suleman’s stomach,” said Tyagi.
However, as per initial investigation, the police did not find a weapon on Suleman, neither have the police been able to locate Ashish’s pistol.
At least 26 persons including 20 policemen were injured in the violence on Friday, 20 December.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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