Chandigarh: A day after a 21-year-old law student of a private university died from a gunshot wound outside a liquor store in Sector 17, Chandigarh police on Sunday said the youth had allegedly shot himself with his father’s licensed pistol inside his car.The deceased, Ajay Gill, a third-year law student and a native of Ludhiana, sustained a gunshot wound to the temple. The incident occurred around 9pm on Saturday. He was rushed to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.A panel of doctors conducted the postmortem on Sunday, after which the body was handed over to the family. The last rites were later performed in his native village in Ludhiana.During the investigation, police examined the role of Ajay’s friend, Navi alias Neev, who was with him at the time of the incident. A CFSL team collected samples from Navi’s hands and carried out forensic tests to determine whether he had fired the weapon. Police said no evidence was found linking him to the firing.Investigators also seized the spent cartridge from the car. According to police, forensic examination indicated that the pistol was in Ajay’s hand when the shot was fired. Based on forensic findings and other evidence collected from the scene, police have proceeded with the case as a suspected suicide.Police found that Ajay had been speaking to someone on his mobile phone shortly before the incident. The phone remains locked, and efforts are underway to access it and examine call records and other data.Investigators are trying to establish whom Ajay spoke to immediately before the shooting and whether the conversation had any bearing on his decision to take the extreme step.Police are also probing how Ajay gained access to his father’s licensed pistol and whether rules governing the safe custody of the firearm were followed. Officials are considering action against his father under applicable provisions related to the storage and handling of licensed weapons and are expected to coordinate with Ludhiana police in this regard.While police have treated the case as a suicide, the investigation remains open.
