At their tiny home in Uttar Nagar, the family of Pandav Kumar is trying to pick up the pieces days after his murder, amid a stream of visitors, and a wait for their demands to be fulfilled.
Kumar was a Zomato delivery worker who was shot dead in the early hours of April 26 by constable Neeraj Balhara of the Delhi Police Special Cell. Reportedly drunk at the time, the constable allegedly opened fire at Kumar and his friend as they hailed from Bihar. Pandav died but his friend Kishan Patel, who was struck by the same bullet, is undergoing treatment at the Rao Tula Ram Hospital.
Pandav was returning home from celebrating the birthday of his friend’s son when the incident occurred at Jaffarpur Kalan village in south west Delhi. He is survived by his parents, younger brother Vikas Kumar, an elder sister, and his younger sister's daughter (niece).
Pandav’s cousin, Rahul, told Newslaundry: “He was the only earning member in the household. His brother, Vikas, suffers from tuberculosis, and as a result, he had to drop out of school. Pandav moved to Delhi in 2008-09 after completing Class 10. Their family hails from the Khagaria district of Bihar.”
Since the incident, Pandav's family has been staging a sit-in protest outside their home in Prajapati Colony in Uttam Nagar, demanding a government job for the family, compensation of Rs 1 crore, and the death penalty for the accused. “There has been a constant stream of visitors coming and going at our home. We even went to meet Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, but we received no assistance,” Rahul says.
‘You’ve even built a house here — and I don’t even own a home’
An FIR was registered on April 26 against Neeraj at the Jaffarpur Kalan police station in the Dwarka district under Sections 103(1)/109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25/27 of the Arms Act, 1959.
It was filed on the basis of a complaint from Pandav’s friend, Rupesh Kumar, an electrician by profession. Rupesh stated that Pandav and Kishan, along with his friends Krishna, Chhotu, and Deepak, among others, had gathered at his home on April 25 to mark his son’s birthday. They were all from the same village in Bihar. The party continued late.
Rupesh told Newslaundry that they had stepped out to book a cab for some guests after the party. It was at this point that Neeraj emerged from the house across the street, demanding to know why they were standing there, recalled Rupesh.
“He was completely drunk. He asked, ‘What are you Biharis doing here?’” When a friend pointed out that Rupesh lived in the very same lane, it only enraged the constable further. ‘You people have run roughshod over this place! You've even managed to build yourselves a house here – and I don’t even own a home!’ he yelled.”
The altercation quickly turned deadly. According to Rupesh, Neeraj then allegedly said, “Never mind; even if I don’t own a house, at least I have this pistol worth Rs 6 lakh. That should be enough to settle the score with you.”
Rupesh recalled that the moment he drew the pistol, the three friends fled on a scooter. Neeraj fired. The bullet pierced through Pandav and lodged itself in Kishan’s abdomen. The friends later returned to the spot and rushed both of them to Rao Tula Ram Hospital, where Pandav was pronounced dead.
Rupesh denies that any of them had been drinking that night.
However, SHO Bahadur Singh Gulia, meanwhile, offers a starker account of the night. “Seven or eight boys were standing on the road, fighting and creating a ruckus. Neeraj, who was under the influence of alcohol, stepped out of his room and, following an altercation, opened fire. The accused has since been arrested,” he remarked.
‘Neeraj fired the shot while intoxicated’
For some within the Delhi Police, Neeraj was a promising officer posted for the last six years with its Special Cell. His friends describe him as ‘amiable’. He was married, with two children back at his ancestral home in Rohtak.
Deepak, a property dealer who has lived with Neeraj for the past 15 years, blamed the firing on “ruckus”. “The incident occurred around 2:00 am. Neeraj had returned home from duty just a short while earlier. He was under the influence of alcohol. A group of youths were creating a ruckus outside the house. Neeraj suspected they might be miscreants, as our locality is known to harbour certain criminal elements. Consequently, and for the sake of his own safety, he stepped out of the house carrying his service pistol.”
“There were 6-7 boys standing outside the house. They had a scooter and a motorcycle with them. When Neeraj stepped out, the three boys who were on the scooter sped away. Neeraj suspected that they might be criminals. Subsequently, during an altercation with the remaining youths, a shot was fired,” he says, adding that it was fired accidentally under the influence of alcohol.
“I am the only one here; I am his family. Consider me his elder brother, as he lived with me. No one else in the family will speak about this matter; whatever needs to be done, I will handle it myself,” he said.
His colleagues at the Delhi Police Special Cell office in Saket were equally taken aback. Head Constable Amit said, “Everyone here is stunned. He was a very amiable and decent person. We would exchange greetings with him every day. We never imagined he was capable of doing something like this.”
Another colleague, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added, “We are truly shocked that Neeraj has done such a thing. He was a good guy. His professional conduct was excellent, and his superiors were always pleased with his work. However, everyone is left bewildered by this recent incident.”
This report was republished from Newslaundry Hindi.
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