Corona effect: Fearing the spread of the virus, Man in Noida was shot for coughing

Fear has been engulfing people in public when someone coughs. But when a man from Greater Noida coughed, he was shot with a gun on Wednesday, as he was accused of trying to spread the virus. The victim, 27-year-old Prashant, received the bullet in his right thigh and was admitted to the Kailash Hospital, Greater Noida.

The incident is said to have taken place around 9 pm on Tuesday when Prashant and three others were playing a board game. The offender Jaiveer alias Gullu and the victim knew each other.

“I coughed and this irked Gullu. He said that I had coughed at him deliberately and that I was spreading coronavirus. I pleaded that the coughing was spontaneous, but he did not listen to me. He took out a countrymade gun and opened fire. I received a bullet injury in my thigh and collapsed on the ground,” the victim told Hindustan Times. Jaiveer has been on the run and the victim’s father has filed a case that falls under IPC Section 307, attempt to murder.

The DSP informed TOI that the bullet has been removed from the victim’s leg, but he is kept in an Intensive Care Unit. The police suspect that Jaiveer was drunk at the time of the accident. Further, the police added, “The accused were known to the victim. They had no history of fighting in the past. It seems that the argument led to the firing. Prima facie, the country-made gun used in the firing is illegal. A detailed investigation in the matter is underway. Arrests will be made soon.”