An 18-year-old Class 12 student was allegedly shot dead while she was sleeping in the veranda of her house in a village in Basti, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday night. Police confirmed the incident on Tuesday, March 3, and said the investigation is underway.
According to officials, the young woman was sleeping outside her home when an unidentified person shot her. She was immediately taken to a nearby community health centre, where doctors declared her dead.
Additional Superintendent of Police Shyam Kant said, “No written complaint has been received so far. However, family members have expressed suspicion about a youth. The body has been sent to the mortuary for post-mortem examination.”
Police said they are waiting for the post-mortem report and a formal complaint from the family before taking further action.
Mother Names Youth from Same Village
The victim’s mother, Anita, has accused a 22-year-old man from the same village of killing her daughter. She identified him as Mandeep Paswan.
Speaking to reporters, Anita said her husband, Dinesh Kumar, works in Punjab to support the family. She lives in the village with her daughter and son.
Anita alleged that Paswan had been harassing her daughter for months. She claimed that on December 19, 2025, he molested her daughter and recorded an explicit video to pressure her into a physical relationship.
“He forced her and made a video. He was threatening her and asking her to marry him,” Anita alleged.
She further said that after the December incident, a case was registered against Paswan at Kalwari Police Station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which deals with publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.
Family Alleges Police Negligence
According to Anita, despite the earlier case, no strong preventive action was taken against the accused. She claimed that if stricter steps had been taken earlier, her daughter might still be alive.
“The police did not take strict action. If they had acted properly, this would not have happened,” she said, demanding justice for her daughter.
Police officials have not yet confirmed whether the accused has been detained or questioned in connection with the shooting. They said the matter is being investigated from all angles.
