Bijnor protester was shot in the eye from close range, says post-mortem report

Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh): The post-mortem of one of the two men killed during anti-CAA protests in Bijnor district on December 20, has revealed that he was shot in his left eye from a ‘close range’.

The youth, Anas, was killed during the violence. He had gone out to buy milk when he was shot. The 25-year-old was rushed to a hospital but was declared brought dead.

According to the post-mortem report, now accessed by the media, Anas was shot in his left eye, and the entry wound was ‘dark.’

The family of Anas has repeatedly accused the police of firing at him but the police claimed that he was shot by one of the protesters during crossfire. The involvement of Anas in the protests, however, is still under investigation.

Arshad Hussain, father of Anas, told reporters that, “He had just come home when his wife asked him to get milk for their son. He immediately left for his uncle’s place, which is barely 50 meters away, and suddenly people started shouting that the police have shot a youngster in a black coat. I rushed and saw Anas lying on the street amid police firing. I dragged him and took him to the hospital, but it was too late.”

A senior doctor at the Bijnor district hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “An entry wound is on the left eyeball, and it is black. It is black only when a gunshot is fired from a close range.”

However, police continue to claim that protesters may have fired at close range.

Earlier, the Bijnor police had admitted that they fired in self defence at the other protester, Suleiman, who also died due to bullet injury.

Suleiman’s family has claimed that the police had picked him up when he was returning from a mosque and shot him.

Published on: Jan 8, 2020 at 10:11 IST

IANS