Chandigarh Cop Shot Dead by Teen Son After Argument Over Early Marriage

A head constable of the Chandigarh Police was allegedly shot dead inside his government residence by his 18-year-old son, police have said, in a case that has thrown light on a simmering family dispute over the teenager's insistence on marrying immediately.

Nitin Singh, attached to the accounts branch at the police headquarters, was found dead at his home in Sector 22 on Friday with a gunshot injury to his head. A countrymade pistol was recovered from the spot. The death came a day after he had an argument with his son, Armaan.

According to a senior police officer, Armaan, who has since been arrested, also tried to harm his mother by grabbing her by the neck. She managed to break free, ran to the rooftop and alerted neighbours. A neighbour said that after the incident, Armaan attempted to suggest that an outsider had entered the house and attacked his father.

Preliminary investigation indicates that Armaan had been pressuring his parents to let him marry his girlfriend, while they wanted him to wait until he turned 21, the legal age for marriage for men in India. Police officer Sudesh Kumar said that on Thursday evening Armaan had an altercation with his parents over the issue. "He wanted to marry a girl and wanted to marry her immediately. But his parents insisted that he could go ahead with the marriage only after he turns 21," Kumar said.

The officer said Armaan was also forcing his parents to bring the girl to their house, a demand they rejected, and was seeking money for various needs. It is learnt that he had asked his father for Rs 10 lakh for the marriage. Kumar added that Armaan showed no remorse for his actions.

Investigators have also found that Armaan was out on bail in a case registered earlier this year, in which two brothers were killed after he rammed a car into their motorcycle. He was driving a friend's Mahindra Thar when it hit the siblings in Manimajra. He was arrested in that case and later released on bail.