Bihar medical aspirant shoots self while taking selfie with father’s pistol

Police says circumstances of the incident will only be known after a preliminary investigation in the case.

A 17-year-old medical aspirant in Bihar’s Gopalganj district died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while trying to click a selfie with a firearm licensed to his father. The victim was identified as Himansu Kumar alias Kunal, a resident of Imalia village under the limits of Manjha Garh police station of Gopalganj district. The firearm belonged to the victim’s father, Omprakash Singh, a farmer-cum-BJP activist.

The gun belonged to victim’s father , said police. (Shutterstock Image)

Police said the deceased was studying in Kota, Rajasthan and had recently returned to his native place during the lockdown.

Imalia village head Ranjan Singh said Kunal accidently pulled the trigger of his father’s gun while posing for a picture at his home on Friday morning. Kunal’s neighbour and former minister Ram Pravesh Rai said he called the police after hearing a gunshot.

“I heard a gunshot, and then I heard somebody screaming. I realised that somebody had been hurt. I called the police straight away and when they arrived, they found that he (Kunal) was still alive,” Rai said.

Kunal died at the Sadar hospital due to the bullet injury in his head. Following his death, family members and villagers accused the hospital of medical negligence and some relatives of the deceased allegedly attacked a few doctors and health workers at the hospital. A big contingent of police force was rushed to the spot to pacify the mob.

Station house officer (SHO) of Manjha Garh police station Dinesh Kumar Yadav said all angles were being probed.

“Though it appears that the deceased accidentally shot himself, we are investigating the case from all angles, including murder or death by suicide. Some of his family members are being questioned,” said Yadav.

Gopalganj SP Manoj Tiwari said further clarity in the case will come after the preliminary investigation.

“The family has claimed that the boy died while trying to take a selfie with his father’s gun. We will be able tell more after we conclude our preliminary investigations,” he said, adding that the family was in a state of shock.

The state has seen a spate of incidents of people, especially teenagers and youth, dying in accidents while taking a selfie.

Earlier on June 15, 2019, a 22-year-old youth from Bhagalpur, identified as Pawan Kumar, died in Sahebganj (Jharkhand) when a pistol went off while he was posing for a selfie with the illegal weapon during a wedding function.