Youth dies as pistol misfires at friend’s tilak ceremony in Nalanda

Biharsharif: A 21-year-old man died after a pistol he was allegedly carrying went off accidentally during a tilak ceremony at Amawan village under Bind police station area in Nalanda district early Monday.

The deceased was identified as Chhotu Kumar, son of Upendra Kumar, a resident of Gausnagar village in Sarmera. He had recently returned from Delhi, where he worked as a daily-wage worker, to prepare for his upcoming wedding. His engagement ceremony was scheduled for Tuesday, while the marriage was planned for April 27.

According to police, Chhotu had gone to attend the tilak ceremony of his friend Montu Kumar on Sunday night. The event was underway with music and dancing when Chhotu went to the rooftop. Soon, a gunshot was heard, triggering panic among the guests. Family members rushed upstairs and found Chhotu critically injured. He was taken to Biharsharif sadar hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

The case initially took a serious turn when Chhotu’s cousin, Suraj Kumar, who had accompanied him to the function, told police that Chhotu was shot dead by two men over a dispute related to his proposed marriage with a woman from Chhatarpur village, allegedly without her family’s consent. However, Suraj later changed his statement, claiming that Chhotu was carrying a country-made pistol which misfired accidentally while he was handling it.

Biharsharif Sadar SDPO Nurul Haque said the second version was consistent with preliminary findings, adding that Chhotu had previous criminal cases registered against him under the Arms Act and for robbery. “We are yet to recover the weapon used in the incident. The body has been sent for postmortem and forensic examination. We are investigating all angles, including the initial allegation of murder,” he added.
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