PTI

Bhiwani, Haryana, Nov 3: A 22-year-old youth was shot dead by the police "without provocation" when he was returning from a party early on Monday, his family claimed. The police, however, said Kuldeep was killed in accidental firing.

The main accused, constable Karmbir, has been arrested and a case registered against seven other personnel of Hisar's Hansi police, Bhiwani SP Sanjay Singh. This was after the killing sparked violent protests in the area with mobs damaging police vehicles. Kuldeep was a student of Vaish College here.

A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident, District Magistrate Satya Prakash said.

Kuldeep's brother Vikas, who along with another friend was with the victim when the incident occurred, claimed that they were proceeding towards their house on a motorcycle when a police van suddenly stopped them. He said some of the personnel in the van were in plain clothes.

One of them fired at Kudeep "from point blank range without provocation", Vikas claimed. He said after the firing, the police inquired about their whereabouts. Kuldeep died on the spot, he claimed, adding the police team fled from the site.

Hukam Singh, who was also travelling with the two brothers, alleged that the policemen were in an inebriated state and manhandled them before firing at Kuldeep.

However, Hisar Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar Rao said, "it is a case of accidental fire and not an encounter." The constable's gun went off accidentally as the "the condition of the road was not good", he claimed.

Rao said that police had stopped the youths as it had information that one Dara Singh, a prime suspect in a robbery case of Rs 2.16 lakh in Sorkhi village in May, was in Bhiwani.

When the police signalled the motorcycle to stop at midnight, the youths tried to flee.