The autopsy report of the man who was shot dead by a constable in Lucknow on Saturday shows that he was shot at a point-blank range from an oblique angle above, ABP News reported on Tuesday. The constable had earlier claimed that he had fired the shot in self-defence after falling down on the road. He had also claimed that Vivek Tiwari died after his car collided with a pillar when he was shot at.
The bullet travelled downwards, hit Vivek Tiwari’s chin at the left side and got lodged behind his neck, said the autopsy report, according to Mirror Now. Tiwari’s spinal cord was severely injured. He succumbed to his injuries soon at a hospital.
Tiwari’s colleague Sana Khan, who was in the car with him at the time, had said in her complaint that the constable had shot at him at a point-blank range through the windshield. She had said that the police had waylaid them. “Sir [Vivek Tiwari] didn’t stop the car,” said Khan. “We didn’t realise who they were. There was no accident. We were trying to leave from the side. We hit the bike but they had already gotten off the bike. One of them had a lathi [baton]. The man in the front just pulled out a revolver and fired.”
Khan also told The Indian Express that one of the constables had started pushing his baton inside the car to stop them.
Prashant Chaudhary’s, the accused constable, version differed.
“We saw a suspicious car. The lights were off. When we reached the car, whoever was inside it started the car immediately. We parked our bike in front of the car. He hit our bike. I waved at him to stop but he reversed the car and hit us again. We asked him to come out. But he reversed for the third time and hit our bike with full force. I fell and then got up. I drew my pistol to scare him. When he tried to run over me, I had to shoot in self-defence.”
— Prashant Chaudhary
Tiwari’s family members filed a new First Information Report on Monday, naming Chaudhary and his colleague as the accused. The first case was filed against unknown people based on Khan’s complaint.
On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath met Tiwari’s family and assured them of action. A special investigation team is looking into the matter. A parallel magisterial inquiry team has found five CCTV cameras near the spot of the crime, but is yet to examine the footage from them, reported the Hindustan Times.
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