A 52-year-old Ishrat Nigar, who was visiting a police station Kotwali Nagar in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, for passport verification was shot in the head by a policeman on Friday afternoon.
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kalanidhi Naithani, confirmed the incident, saying that Ishrat was shot at close range inside Kotwali Nagar police station.
The victim, now hospitalized, suffered serious injuries on her head.
Aligarh police department posted a statement on X, quoting the SSP, that said: “At Kotwali Nagar police station, a woman standing nearby was injured due to a bullet misfired from the pistol of Inspector Manoj Sharma for unknown reason.”
According to the police sources, Ishrat was taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, where she is reported to be in critical condition.
“The bullet is still lodged in her head and a decision to operate on her is currently under review,” Principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Dr. Manzoor Harris Khan told India Today.
A local eyewitness, Subhan, from Bhujpura, accused police of negligence and bribe demands.
As soon as Sharma shot the woman, another police officer detained Subhan and kept him under supervision, restricting his interaction with others.
Ishrat’s son Zeeshan, who was accompanying her to the police station when the incident happened, was also detained by the police and confined to a room, according to his video statement.
The police, upon rushing the victim to the hospital, maintained strict control on information, withholding details on Ishrat’s whereabouts, according to her daughter Sumaila who is still reeling from the shock.
According to family members, Ishrat, a resident of Turkman Gate, had plans for an Umrah pilgrimage following her passport verification.
Officer Manoj Sarma was in charge at Bhujpura outpost and is currently absconding. A manhunt has been launched to arrest Sharma according to SSP Aligarh.
This falls in the category of negligence and indiscipline and criminal act,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Aligarh.
