Mohammad Sharif, who was acquitted of terrorism and murder charges in the 2008 Rampur CRPF Group Centre attack case, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur on Tuesday, months after his release from prison.
The shooting took place in the Khajuria police station area. Local accounts said the attackers fired multiple rounds at Sharif, with some bystanders claiming he was shot 16 times. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Police have launched a search for those responsible and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Sharif, a resident of Badanpuri-Khajuria village in Rampur, had been arrested in connection with the attack on the CRPF Group Centre, which took place on the night of December 31, 2007, and continued into the early hours of January 1, 2008. The attack left seven CRPF personnel and a rickshaw puller dead, according to initial reports.
In 2019, a trial court convicted Sharif and other accused in the case. Four men, including Sharif, were sentenced to death, while another accused, Jang Bahadur, was given life imprisonment.
High Court acquitted Sharif of terrorism and murder charges
In October 2025, the Allahabad High Court overturned the death sentences and set aside the convictions on terrorism and murder charges. It acquitted the four men who had been sentenced to death and cleared Jang Bahadur of the principal charges.
However, the court upheld the appellants’ convictions under Section 25(1-A) of the Arms Act for possessing prohibited weapons. A division bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra sentenced them to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.
The bench said the time already spent in prison would be adjusted against the sentences. Those who had completed the term could be released. Sharif was released from Bareilly Central Jail in November 2025 and had returned to his village, according to reports.
The High Court sharply criticised the investigation, saying its defects had undermined the prosecution’s case. It held that the prosecution had failed to prove the principal charges beyond reasonable doubt.
“The defect in investigation struck the root of the case and ultimately culminated in the acquittal of the accused persons,” the court observed.
The bench pointed to several lapses, including the failure to conduct a Test Identification Parade and gaps in the handling and preservation of physical evidence. It questioned whether firearms, cartridges and grenades allegedly recovered during the investigation had been properly secured and traced through the chain of custody. It also noted that key witnesses who could have verified the storage and transfer of the evidence had not been examined.
The court said the state could take action against police officers responsible for the investigation lapses. It also remarked that the case might have had a different outcome had the investigation and prosecution been handled by better-trained personnel.
Police are now investigating Sharif’s killing and searching for the gunmen.
