‘Why was he shot? He was no terrorist’; hang the cops who killed him: Dead teenager’s mother
NEW DELHI: Karan Pandey was just like any other teenager: he loved computers , he went to a gym and he liked motorbikes. He had carved out a small world for himself in his room where there was a laptop, books strewn all over the place, and lots of graffiti . He had spray-painted the line ‘punk is not dead’ on the cupboard. His mother, ManjuPandey, can’t believe that he is dead. He had turned 19 just last month.
Manju had been living with her only son in a two-bedroom flat in Khirki Extension, Malviya Nagar ever since she separated from her husband nine years ago. She didn’t know that Karan had sneaked out of home on Saturday night to go on a motorcycle ride with his friends until a police team came calling at 6.30am on Sunday. She confidently told the policemen at her door that her son was sleeping in his room.
She was inconsolable and demanded death for her son’s killers. “He was not a terrorist, why did the police shoot him then? They could have hit him with a lathi, put him in jail but his killing cannot be justified . He was my support pillar. Who will I live for now?” she said amid sobs.
The family received Rs 18,000 as rent from another house in Uttam Nagar and was living off that money. Karan was taken off regular schooling in Class XI last year and had enrolled in open school.
Renu, aunt of Karan Pandey who was killed in police firing in New Delhi on Sunday
Puneet, his friend who is now out of danger, said both he and Karan were not part of any biker gang. He told his parents that all he remembered were bikes passing by and his friend falling down from the bike, screaming in pain. His parents, too, blamed police and termed it a case of mistaken identity. Puneet has passed his Class XII and works at a factory on a part-time basis. His parents own a business.
Police say Puneet is being treated for alcohol and drug addition and was riding drunk at the time of the incident; his family denied it. Karan’s medical report is awaited.
Puneet was riding a modified Pulsar bike in the early hours of Sunday which had stickers like ‘Killer’ and ‘Racer’ pasted on them. The bike, which is registered in the name of Puneet’s father H P Sharma, also has an exhaust silencer attached to its engine in stead of the normal silencer.
“He had a valid licence; they were wearing helmets. Who gave the police the licence to shoot at them? They could have arrested them if they were doing any stunts. We want the strictest punishment for the errant cops,” his father said.
