A 21-year-old food delivery worker was killed and his friend injured when a Delhi Police chief opened fire after “hurling communal abuses” at them during an altercation on Sunday.
Police said the deceased Pandav Kumar and his friend Krishan were standing on a road in Delhi’s Javarpur Kalan village around 2.30 am, and accused Neeraj allegedly opened fire at close range after an altercation with them.
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While Kumar was injured in the chest, the bullet entered his body and hit Krishan, who is now undergoing treatment.
Police sources were quoted as saying that Neeraj works in the Special Cell of Delhi Police, but Kumar’s family claimed that Neeraj is a senior police officer of Delhi Police. But the police did not confirm this.
Arguing about parking on the road turns ugly
Kumar and Krishan were returning from a birthday party at a friend’s house, and the duo was engaged in a conversation with the hosts on the road before leaving, according to police investigations so far.
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Neeraj, who lives across the road, came down and got into an argument with them. During the altercation, he allegedly shot at Kumar, who was riding a motorcycle, targeting his chest at close range.
The police were quoted as saying, “The bullet entered Kumar’s chest and exited his body before hitting Krishan, who was sitting at the back, in the right side of his abdomen.”
They were immediately transferred to a nearby hospital, where Kumar was declared dead, while Krishan is undergoing treatment.
“He opened fire when he learned we were from Bihar.”
The police said that a case has been registered against the absconding accused, and efforts are being made to arrest him.
Kumar’s family claimed that Neeraj was drunk and said that the shooting was unjustified and that he immediately fled the spot after the shooting.
The family further alleged that Neeraj objected to Kumar standing on the road with his friends and asked him about his caste.
“The moment he found out that we were from Bihar, he opened fire and fled,” Kumar’s mother, Meena Devi, told reporters.
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She said: “I want justice for my son. He was innocent and went to a birthday party. He was working hard to support the family. The accused should receive a strict punishment.”
A relative of Kumar said he was the only earning member in his family.
The family members of the deceased and the locals gathered at Jafarpur Kalan police station following the incident, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused and strict action against him.
Police said Neeraj is a native of Bahu Akbarpur village in Rohtak, Haryana, and has been living alone for 15 years.
They said they were investigating the sequence of events that led to the altercation.
