Image Courtesy: newindianexpress.com
Claim: Kolkata Police constable shot dead by people protesting Nupur Sharma’s comments against Prophet Mohammed
Busted! Police had confirmed that the constable shot himself dead after opening fire on passersby near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, killing one woman who was riding pillion on a bike and injuring two others.
In wake of an outbreak of violence at a demonstration held in Howrah, to protest derogatory comments made by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma, a disturbing image started circulating on social media. It showed a crowd gathered around the corpse of a West Bengal policeman who had suffered a gun-shot wound to his head. Some social media accounts claimed that the policeman was killed by protesters, and the fake news spread like wildfire!
Luckily after police started taking action against people spreading fake news, these posts were taken down. In fact, the Kolkata Police even issued a warning against spreading hate and fake news:
— Kolkata Police (@KolkataPolice) June 12, 2022
India Today’s Fake News War Room (AFWA) and fact-checking website Alt News, both investigated the matter and discovered that he had actually died by suicide. The deceased policeman, identified as constable Choudup Lepcha, who was part of the Fifth Battalion of the Kolkata Armed Police, had actually died by suicide after opening fire with his service weapon.
The incident took place on Lower Range Road near the Bangladeshi High Commission located at Park Circus, where Lepcha was posted. He opened fire and injured at least two people, and killed one woman, identified as a physiotherapist named Reema Singh, who was passing by, riding pillion on a bike.
The actual circumstances of his death were also reported by other news media outlets including NDTV, The New Indian Express, and Hindustan Times.
NDTV filed this video report shortly after the shocking incident took place:
Praveen Kumar Tripathi, Additional Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, told The New Indian Express, “It seems Lepcha who shot himself on his neck was suffering from depression. It is yet to be ascertained whether his act was because of his mental condition.”
Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal told Hindustan Times that Lepcha’s father had died in service in 2017, and he had therefore been recruited on compassionate grounds in 2021. He had resumed duty after a 10-day leave of absence on the day he took his life.
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