Delhi: Teenager poses with pistol for photo, accidentally kills cousin

A bullet fired allegedly by a 17-year-old boy from his father’s licensed pistol while posing for a photo claimed the life of his cousin, who was taking the picture with his mobile phone. The incident was reported from south Delhi’s Sarita Vihar on Thursday, the police said.

The 23-year-old cousin, Prashant Chauhan, a teacher in Delhi’s Shahdara, was visiting the boy and his family when the accidental firing took place around 5.30 pm at the second-floor flat.

The teenager is a Class 11 student at a private school in Jasola near Sarita Vihar. He cannot be named because he is a juvenile.

Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), said a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 304 of IPC was registered at the Sarita Vihar police station and the teenager was arrested.

“The negligence on the part of the teenager’s father, a property dealer who holds the licence of the pistol, is also being probed under section 30 of the Arms Act. We will take action against the father as per law,” said Biswal.

Shivam Chauhan, a relative, said Prashant and the teenager were in a room while the latter’s mother was ironing clothes.

His sister was studying in another room.

The teenager took out his father’s licenced pistol from a cupboard and asked Prashant to take his photos on his mobile phone.

“The teenager was holding the pistol in his hand and posing for a photo, pointing the firearm at Prashant, who was standing in front of him with the cellphone in his hand. While Prashant was taking the photo, the boy accidentally pressed the trigger. The bullet hit Prashant in the right side of his chest. He collapsed on the floor,” said Shhivam Chauhan, quoting the statement the teenager gave to the police.

Hearing the gunshot, the teenager’s mother and sister rushed to the room and found Prashant Chauhan unconscious. The mother asked her son to call the neighbours so they could take him to the hospital. The teenager alerted neighbours and rushed to a police booth located some 30-40 metres away from his home.

Prashant Chauhan was taken to Apollo Hospital in the neighbour’s car.

DCP Biswal said he died of the bullet injury in the hospital. The body was later sent to the mortuary at All India Institute of Medical Sciences for an autopsy.

“We will write to the concerned authorities to cancel the pistol licence of the teenager’s father, who was away and had negligently kept the loaded weapon in the house,” added Biswal. Prashant Chauhan’s relatives said he had completed a teacher’s training course from an institute in Delhi and was recently employed as a contractual teacher in Shahdara. They said the teenager was a bright student and had secured 96% in his Class 10 exams.

Prashant Chauhan is survived by his parents and brother. His elder brother had died in a road accident four years ago, the relatives said.