New Delhi: For Manish Kumar’s ageing parents, this Nov was meant to bring joy to their lives. Their only son was to tie the knot. However, things fell apart in a matter of seconds when the 27-year-old man, a farmer in southwest Delhi’s Issapur Village, was fatally shot after a security guard’s gun went off inside a bank in Jaffarpur Kalan on July 28.“Manish was the sole breadwinner of his family. Because of one person’s negligence, our family has lost its only source of support and the future it hoped for,” Vijay Kumar, his cousin, told TOI.Manish, who earlier worked as a contractual employee with Delhi Metro, went to the bank to get his name corrected so that he could get his provident fund dues, his cousin said. Police, however, said he was in the bank for an Aadhaar-related updation linked to his account.Manish was the youngest of six siblings; all five of his sisters are married. He is survived by his 80-year-old father, Ram Karan, and 77-year-old mother, Parameshwari.With Raksha Bandhan just around the corner, the tragedy has devastated Manish’s sisters, who were looking forward to celebrating the festival with him.Vijay said he watched the bank’s CCTV footage of the incident. According to him, Manish was standing at the counter, filling in a form, when the security guard allegedly began loading his double-barrel gun despite the presence of customers and employees. “As soon as he finished loading it, it went off. Manish collapsed after being hit by a bullet on the back,” Vijay said.Another cousin, Om Veer Dagar, described Manish as a cheerful and hardworking person who was always willing to help others in the village. Manish was excited about starting a new chapter in his life, Dagar said. “The family had started preparing for his wedding. He often spoke about it and wanted to renovate his house before bringing home his bride. He even checked out marble and tiles for the renovation,” the cousin said.Dagar questioned why the security guard loaded the firearm inside a crowded bank. “It all happened within minutes, and we believe Manish died on the spot. This negligence cost an innocent man his life. In our view, a murder case should have been registered,” he said.Police arrested Vinod, the security guard, who is a resident of Majri village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district. Investigators said he served in the Army before retiring in 2018 and was working with a private security agency for the past two years. A case was registered against him under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
