Boy shoots self with father’s revolver, survives; academic pressure had left him depressed’

The boy is a class nine student at a private school in Adarsh Nagar where he lives with his father. His father runs a firm that provides technical consultancy.

A 14-year-old boy shot himself in his chest using his father’s licenced revolver at their home in northwest Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar on Monday, police said.

The boy is a class nine student at a private school in Adarsh Nagar where he lives with his father. His father runs a firm that provides technical consultancy.

The police ruled out any foul play and said the boy might have been depressed because of family issues and academic pressure.

The boy survived the alleged suicide attempt as the bullet missed his heart.

“The child is out of danger and will be discharged from the hospital soon,” said Aslam Khan, deputy commissioner of police (north-west).

The boy is a class nine student at a private school in Adarsh Nagar where he lives with his father. His father runs a firm that provides technical consultancy.

“The child’s parents separated six years ago. He had been living with his father since then. The separation had left the boy stressed and depressed,” the DCP said. “He was also feeling pressure from his father to perform well in academics. He was also worried about the approaching final exams of Class 9,” said the DCP.

On Sunday evening, the boy was at his house when he took his father’s licenced revolver and shot himself in his chest in his room. His father rushed to his room on hearing the sound of the gunshot and found him lying on the ground.

He was taken to a nearby private hospital from where a police call was made. “The bullet passed through his chest and he had to undergo a surgery,” said an investigator.

The DCP said that a case under the Arms Act and the Indian Penal Code sections has been registered at Adarsh Nagar police station against the father. While the Arms Act has been applied for contravention of license, the IPC section pertains to an act endangering personal safety of others and causing hurt by act endangering life.