A woman who had gone to a police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district for passport verification died on Wednesday night after being shot in the head by a sub-inspector’s pistol on December 8.
The incident was captured on CCTV, sparking outrage against the sub-inspector and his due negligence in handling the service pistol, which allegedly misfired.
The woman, identified as Ishrat, 55, was the wife of a locksmith, Shakeel Khan, who lived in the Haddi Godown area of Turkman Gate Chowki area of Nigar Kotwali.
Ishrat had gone to the police station with her son Zishaan on December 8 around 2.30 pm for passport verification. The incident occurred, when she was talking to the clerk posted at Munshiyana, the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) office of Aligarh Kotwali Nagar.
Meanwhile, the clerk handed over his service pistol to sub-inspector Manoj Sharma, in charge of Bhujpura Outpost. Sharma started checking the pistol while standing near Ishrat.
Reportedly, not realizing that the pistol had a full magazine, Sharma pulled the trigger, thinking that the chamber was empty. A bullet was fired and hit Ishrat’s head, leaving her critically injured.
Ishrat was immediately rushed to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, where she underwent surgery on Tuesday. However, she did not regain consciousness and succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday night.
Sharma fled the scene after the shooting and has been absconding since then. The Aligarh police department, responding promptly, suspended Sharma and initiated a criminal case against him.
The court has also issued a non-bailable warrant against Sharma while the police have announced a reward of Rs 20,000 for his arrest. The clerk of the police station has also been arrested and sent to jail in judicial custody.
Aligarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kalanidhi Naithani said that a panel of doctors is conducting the post-mortem of Ishrat’s body and further action will be taken based on the report.
“The woman injured by Daroga’s bullet has succumbed to her injuries. Late last night, medical authorities declared her dead. Following the completion of postmortem procedures, the body will be handed over to the family,” Kalanidhi Nathani, SSP, Aligarh told media.
