19-year-old shot dead in UP's Moradabad; family protests demanding action

Moradabad: A 19-year-old youth was shot dead in the Katghar area of Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, police said on Thursday.
According to officials, the victim was identified as Harsh alias Sidhu, a resident of Dawal Phatak Valmiki Mohalla in the Galshaheed police station area. The victim had gone to attend a birthday party with his friend, Sumit, in Mehbulla Ganj on Wednesday night.
On his way back home, the victim got into an argument with two persons, identified as Rajesh Rastogi and his son Lakshya Rastogi, in the Joshiyan Mohalla area over overtaking their vehicle.
Their argument soon turned heated, and the accused, Rajesh and Lakshya, allegedly opened fire at Harsh. The victim sustained bullet injuries and was later rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Soon after the incident, the victim's family and relatives, along with a large number of people from their community, reached Katghar police station and staged a protest. The protesting members also blocked the road, demanding action against those involved.
This prompted the arrival of senior police officials, including SSP Hemraj Meena and SP City Akhilesh Bhadauria, along with forces from multiple police stations.
The police authorities assured the family of strict action against the perpetrators and promised their swift arrest, which helped to pacify the agitated crowd.
Meanwhile, Harsh's body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.
SP City Akhilesh Bhadauria said that a case has been registered based on the family's complaint and that the accused will be arrested soon.
Reportedly, this was the second incident in which a person was shot dead in Moradabad. Earlier, a cleric was shot dead in the early hours of Tuesday, June 11.