Teenager poses with pistol for photo, accidentally kills cousin
NEW DELHI: 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 secondfloor 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.
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 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 is survived by his parents and brother. His elder brother had died in a road accident four years ago, the relatives said.