An unborn child, a waiting daughter, a home in mourning

Patna: A single gunshot ended not just a life, but an entire world of dreams.

For the family of Abhishek Sharma, a 34-year-old senior manager at Punjab and Sindh Bank in Ghaziabad, March 16 will forever remain a day of unimaginable grief. Shot dead allegedly by the bank security guard in the bank’s cabin over denial of leave, Abhishek’s sudden end has left his loved ones struggling to come to terms with the loss.

Just a day before his death, Abhishek had spoken to his younger brother, Abhimanyu Sharma. “He told me that he would be coming home in the first week of April and we would go out for a trip together,” Abhimanyu recalled, after performing his elder brother’s last rites at Lakhipur village in Bakhtiyarpur block in Patna district on Tuesday.

Back home, the grief is overwhelming. Abhishek’s wife, Radhika, who is two months pregnant, has been inconsolable. “She fainted and has been inconsolable ever since,” Abhimanyu said, his voice breaking as he struggled to hold back tears. The couple’s one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Pari, is too young to understand the enormity of what has been lost.

“Abhishek bhaiya used to talk to bhabhi, mother and other family members every night at 9pm before going to sleep. On March 15, the night before the incident, bhaiya spoke to Radhika bhabhi on the phone. He told her that their daughter Pari’s birthday is on June 27 and they would go out to celebrate the day,” Abhimanyu said.

In Lakhipur village, where Abhishek was born and raised, grief has spread beyond the walls of his home. Villagers are mourning the death. To them, Abhishek was more than a bank officer, he was a symbol of hard work, humility and kindness.

“His father is a farmer, but he focused on his studies and worked hard to get a job in a nationalised bank in 2016. His father and mother live in the village, but Abhishek also used to visit his native place during festivals. He always used to respect the elders and shower love on the younger ones,” said Santosh Sharma, a villager.

His journey had been one of quiet determination. From his first posting in Hoshiyarpur, Punjab, to roles at the head office in Kidwai Nagar, Delhi, and later the zonal office in Noida, Abhishek steadily built his career. In Aug 2025, he achieved a milestone — his promotion as senior manager at Balram Nagar branch in Ghaziabad.

Abhimanyu remembers the joy that swept through their home when Abhishek secured his bank job. It was the beginning of stability, of dreams taking shape. Now, that same home is filled with silence and sorrow.

Even the details of how the family first learned of the tragedy add to the anguish. “His in-laws’ home is in Mokama. We came to know that he met with an accident. Then we found out that he was shot. There was someone’s wedding at Radhika’s maternal home, so she was there. She left on March 6,” said his uncle, Ramprakash Sharma.