A 14-year-old Muslim boy has been shot dead by an off-duty private security officer during a wedding procession in Delhi after he picked up banknotes thrown in the air as part of the celebrations.
The victim, Saahil Ansari, had stopped briefly on his way home from work in the Shyam Nagar area on the night of 29 November when he was confronted, slapped and then shot at close range in the head by Madan Gopal Tiwari, an off-duty Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer.
Police said the wedding procession was heading towards a community centre when guests began tossing banknotes into the air, a common practice in northern India. Saahil, who lived nearby, stopped to watch with a group of boys and picked up a few notes before he was grabbed by a man from the groom’s entourage.
Witnesses told The Indian Express the man held Saahil by the collar, slapped him repeatedly, and after the other boys fled, pulled out a firearm and shot him. Saahil collapsed on the road as the crowd dispersed, and doctors at Hedgewar Hospital later declared him dead on arrival.
Saahil came from a working-class Muslim family and had taken up work earlier this year after his father suffered a paralytic attack. His mother said he worked an 11-hour shift at a local grocery shop, earning around Rs 6,000 a month (£50), which had become vital for the household. The family said the notes tossed at the wedding were mostly fake and that Saahil had simply paused on his way home. He was the third of seven siblings and had left school to help support his parents.
Police detained the accused CISF officer on Sunday morning and later arrested him. A senior police official told The Indian Express the man had a history of “anger management issues,” though investigators have not confirmed whether it influenced the shooting. Officers are reviewing CCTV footage, wedding videos and phone recordings, and have seized the firearm for forensic analysis. The CISF has not yet issued a statement and said the officer was off duty at the time.
Residents expressed shock and anger, questioning how an off-duty officer could draw and fire a weapon at a child in a crowded area. Community members gathered outside the family home to offer condolences and said the killing highlights the vulnerability of working-class Muslim children in the city. The investigation is ongoing and police have not said whether further charges will be added.
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