Moradabad: Family Protests as 19-Year-Old Shot Dead, Demands Justice

A 19-year-old youth was fatally shot in the Katghar area of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, police reported on Thursday. The victim, identified as Harsh alias Sidhu, was a resident of Dawal Phatak Valmiki Mohalla in the Galshaheed police station area. He had attended a birthday party with his friend Sumit in Mehbulla Ganj on Wednesday night.

On their way home, Harsh got into an argument with two individuals, Rajesh Rastogi and his son Lakshya Rastogi, over overtaking their vehicle in the Joshiyan Mohalla area. The disagreement escalated, and Rajesh and Lakshya allegedly shot Harsh. He sustained bullet injuries and was rushed to the district hospital, where he was pronounced dead by doctors.

Following the incident, Harsh’s family and a large number of community members gathered at the Katghar police station to protest, blocking the road and demanding action against the culprits. Senior police officials, including SSP Hemraj Meena and SP City Akhilesh Bhadauria, arrived with forces from multiple police stations to manage the situation.

The police assured the family of strict action against the perpetrators and promised their swift arrest, which helped calm the agitated crowd. Harsh’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

SP City Akhilesh Bhadauria confirmed that a case has been registered based on the family’s complaint and assured that the accused would be arrested soon. This incident follows another shooting in Moradabad, where a cleric was killed on the early morning of Tuesday, June 11.