Man who shot himself dead outside Golden Temple identified

Five days after a man shot himself dead outside the Golden Temple plaza after snatching the pistol from a cop, the police have identified the victim as Hari Prasad of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

His family members on Friday reached the city and took the body into their possession.

“The deceased was identified as Hari Prasad of Coimbatore and the police had informed their family members about the incident,” said Harsandeep Singh, SHO, Kotwali police station here. The police had recently circulated the pictures of the deceased on various social media platforms to establish his identity.

Hari Prasad had shot himself dead near the Golden Temple entrance plaza after snatching the pistol from an ASI, identified as Ashwani Kumar, who was deputed for a judge’s security on September 22.

Following the incident, his body had been kept in the mortuary for identification. The victim apparently had suicidal tendencies as there was a bandage on his right wrist. Later, the police found cut marks on his veins. He was later booked for snatching on the statement of ASI Ashwani Kumar.

Taking suo moto cognizance of the incident, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a status report from DGP Gaurav Yadav in this regard.