A Delhi Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) accidentally shot himself with his service pistol on Thursday morning in north-west Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy, the police said.
ASI Dharam Veer (56), posted with the PCR unit, is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, they added.
The incident happened around 7 a.m. when Mr. Veer was cleaning the weapon inside a PCR van, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) Aslam Khan.
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Night shift
“The officer and a constable were on night duty and their shift was about to end when the mishap happened. The duo was manning the PCR van stationed at a halting point in the area. The constable had got down from the van when Mr. Veer started cleaning his pistol,” Ms. Khan said.
While cleaning the weapon, the ASI accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself in the chest, she added.
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“On hearing the gunshot, the constable rushed to the van and saw his colleague lying injured,” Ms. Khan said.
Following this, the constable made a PCR call and a police team reached the spot. Mr. Veer was rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital, following which he was referred to Max Hospital.
None of his vital organs were punctured in the incident, doctors told the police. The police are waiting for doctors to declare Mr. Veer fit for statement, after which they will probe the incident further.
“All policemen are trained to handle weapons, including the procedure to clean them. This was negligence on the officer’s part,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (PCR) Devender Arya.
‘Not a suicide attempt’
Mr. Arya denied that this was a case of attempted suicide.