UP cop killed in ‘misfire’ by colleague; family rejects official version

Aligarh: UP police constable Mohammad Yakoob was accidentally shot dead by a fellow policeman, SI Rajiv Kumar, during an operation by the Special Operations Group (SOG) to arrest suspected cattle smugglers in a village in Aligarh early Thursday.

As explained by the UP police, the misfire happened during the raid when Inspector Azhar Hussain’s service pistol was jammed and SI Rajiv was trying to fix the jammed and loaded weapon. The fired bullet pierced through SI Rajiv’s abdomen and hit Constable Yakoob in the head. The police constable succumbed to the injury while the injured SI is undergoing medical treatment. 

Responding to the incident and the official explanation by the UP police, Yakoob’s father said he is finding it hard to believe the police story. Pointing towards the center of the forehead, where Yakoob’s bullet injury was found, he asked how can a bullet hit there after going through a fellow policeman’s abdomen. He demanded an official investigation into his son’s death. 

Owaisi reacts

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi raised concern of suspicion about the police explanation as he posted on X saying  “A jammed pistol – accidentally got fired- pierced SI’s abdomen and hits Yaqoobs head, so what must have Yaqoob’s body position at the time of fire? I am sure an inquiry will be done.” 

This is the second misfire death at the hands of UP police in Aligarh within 8 months. A 55-year-old woman, Ishrat Nigar who went for passport verification was shot dead in Aligarh when a sub-inspector misfired a service gun inside Kotwali police station earlier in December 2023. The policeman who went absconding after the incident was later arrested.