Youth who received award from Prez Kalam shot dead in Delhi

New Delhi: A 26-year-old youth, suffering from speech and hearing impairment since birth, and who had been awarded by former president APJ Abdul Kalam in his school days, was shot dead allegedly by a man after he refused to sell him grocery items on credit from his shop in north-east Delhi’s Seelampur area, police said today.

The deceased youth has been identified as Vinod Kumar, who lives in the same locality with his family, police said.

He was a recipient of an award from former president APJ Abdul Kalam in his school days, they said.

A case of murder has been registered on the basis of a complaint by the victim’s brother, who has claimed to have witnessed the incident. However, no arrests have been made yet, police said.

Kumar’s family told the police that a fight between Kumar and the prime suspect took place on Saturday when he refused to sell him grocery items on credit. The man (suspect) had then allegedly threatened Kumar of dire consequences, police said.

Around 9.30 PM yesterday, when Kumar and his brother went out for a walk after dinner, a youth waylaid them and fled after allegedly shooting Kumar right above his left eye, police said.

The police were informed and Kumar was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Prima facie it is a case of personal rivalry. It is being investigated from all possible angles, police said.

Locals of Seelampur today protested on the road, with Kumar’s body, alleging police inaction in the case. The protest led to traffic snarls in the area.

The crowd dispersed only after senior officials intervened and assured them of speedy investigation into the matter, police added.