Lucknow: A preliminary forensic review indicates that eight-year-old Shaurya was shot by his father, Arvind Singh, rather than by police gunfire. This conclusion was reported by the Azamgarh Police on Thursday, following an initial assessment by a forensic team examining the post-mortem findings and the crime scene.
Personnel were positioned about 8-10 feet away from the children when the firing occurred, a distance at which such close-range marks would not normally be expected, according to police. Police said the entry wound size was consistent with a .32-bore revolver recovered from Arvind.
Police said the early examination of the post-mortem report, bullet trajectory, entry wound characteristics and the circumstances during the seven-hour standoff did not support the theory that Shaurya was hit by a police bullet. Investigators said blackening, tattooing and scorching were found around the child’s entry wound, indicators typically linked to a shot fired from very close range. Police said, given the child’s height, this pattern aligned with a close-range shot from a relatively low position.
Police added that the team was stationed at one end of the room, while Arvind was at the other end with the children, and officers could reach the children only after Arvind was neutralised. The preliminary assessment also recorded an oblique, upward bullet trajectory. The bullet reportedly entered through the cheek and exited through the head. Further forensic examination is ongoing.