Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
Video Producer: Priyale Chandra
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Sunday, said that his government will not tolerate criminal offences like the shooting of an Apple executive by a policeman in Lucknow.
It was a very sad incident. Such criminal offences will not be accepted by the government. Immediate action was taken. The accused has been arrested.Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
The Apple employee was allegedly shot dead in self-defence by a policeman who was on patrol duty on Friday night, 28 September.
Vivek Tiwari, a 38-year-old manager at a Lucknow Apple store, had been injured on the neck after the constable fired at the car’s windshield. Tiwari was shot at by the policeman after he refused to stop at the policeman’s signal citing the safety of his female companion.
Tiwari was driving his car, accompanied by his colleague, Sana, when the incident took place at 1:30 am on the intervening night between Friday and Saturday, in Lucknow’s upscale Gomtinagar extension area.
Reacting to the incident, Director General of Police on Saturday said that the the act was “pure murder”.
The victim’s family has blamed the current UP government for the shooting and demanded that Adityanath take cognisance of it.
ADG Lucknow, Rajiv Krishna on Sunday provided Tiwari’s family with 24-hour police protection.
24-hr police protection will be given to family. CBI inquiry will be initiated if family asks for it. SIT investigation under Lucknow IG Sujeet Pandey will be taken forward on the basis of fresh FIR that will be lodged by family.Rajiv Krishna, ADG Lucknow
CM Adityanath had earlier said, “It was not an encounter. An investigation will be conducted in this incident. If needed, we will order a CBI inquiry into the incident.”
Constable Prashant Chaudhary, the policeman who shot Tiwari has been arrested. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to look into the matter. The SIT visited the spot of the incident in Gomti Nagar extension on Sunday afternoon.
THE CONTRADICTORY VERSIONS OF THE INCIDENT
Tiwari was driving the car and was accompanied by his colleague, Sana, when the incident took place at 1:30 am on the intervening night between Friday and Saturday, in Lucknow’s upscale Gomtinagar extension area.
Chaudhary, the police constable who shot at Tiwari, claims that he had noticed a suspicious car with its lights off. “I didn’t shoot at him. The bullet was shot by mistake. He hit me with his car and drove it over me three times with the intention to kill me. I demand that my FIR must be registered” he said.
Two cops tried to stop the car, but sir (Tiwari) did not stop as I was with him, after which both the cops parked their vehicle in front of the car and one of them fired immediately, which hit sir. Despite being shot, he tried to drive, hitting the police officer’s bike in the process. After travelling for a few meters, the car rammed into the pole.Sana, the girl who was accompanying Tiwari, as quoted by News18
AFTERMATH AND ACTION TAKEN
Tiwari was rushed to Lohia Hospital immediately after the incident, where he later succumbed to his injuries. According to Devendra Singh Negi, the director of the hospital, Tiwari had a bullet injury near the ear on the left side and died during treatment.
He also added that the body had been sent for autopsy.
Senior officers of the police department rushed to the spot as soon as they came to know about the incident, reported News18. An FIR has been lodged against the accused officers and Chaudhary and his colleague Sandeep Kumar have been arrested.
An SIT, formed under the chairmanship of Inspector General, Lucknow, will investigate the case. SP Crime and SP Rural, Lucknow, will be other members of the team, according to Anand Kumar, ADG Law And Order.
The Director General of Police OP Singh said the initial probe suggests Prashant acted wrongly. “Initial findings suggest that the constable acted beyond the limit of self defence,” said Singh. He also stated that the case of murder has been filed and a fair investigation will be carried out.
TIWARI’S FAMILY BLAME UP GOVERNMENT
"The police had no right to shoot at my husband, I demand UP CM to come here and talk to me”, demanded Tiwari’s wife Kalpana. She claimed that she had not been informed about her husband’s death and had been waiting for him to return home.
Kalpana has also written to CM Yogi Adityanath, demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident. Additionally, she has also demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a job in the police department.
Reacting to the incident, Tiwari’s brother-in-law Vishnu Shukla, questioned the action of the police, asking if his brother-in-law was a ‘terrorist.’
“Was he a terrorist that police shot at him? We chose Yogi Adityanath as our representative, we want him to take cognizance of the incident and also demand an unbiased CBI inquiry”, said Shukla.
Tiwari’s uncle, Tilakraj also reacted angrily to the incident, claiming that it was a clear case of murder and blamed the current UP government. “It's a clear case of murder. I've served as a police inspector and I know that a person is never shot in the neck. Such an incident never occurred the way it has under Yogi government,” he said.
Sana, the woman accompanying Tiwari, said that she was under no pressure to hide the truth and the she wanted the culprit to be punished. However, she said that she was in no condition to say anything at the moment, reported ANI.
REACTIONS TO THE SHOOTING
Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya said “An investigation is underway. If an innocent person has been killed by the police, probe will be done. Action will be taken against those found guilty.”
Reiterating Maurya, Anand Kumar, UP ADG (Law & Order) condoled the incident and said that action would be taken against the policemen in question. “This is a sad incident. A case of murder (section 302 IPC) has been registered against the two policemen. Stringent action will be taken”, he said.
Kumar also said that the post mortem report establishes a firearm injury from a bullet on the left side of the chin and that the viscera of the victim has been preserved. A thorough investigation is being conducted to establish the sequence of events, he stated, according to ANI.
“The law has been violated in this case. If the situation demanded firing of a bullet, it could have been fired at the car tyre. Even then it was not right to do so. This is a shameful incident for us”, Kumar said.
(With inputs from ANI and Hindustan Times.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)