Apple executive killed for evading checkpost; UP police probe constable's self-defence claims

A Uttar Pradesh policeman fatally shot an Apple executive in alleged self-defence in Lucknow on Saturday morning.

The victim, Vivek Tewari was driving a car when the police flagged the car down. The driver did not stop at the checkpost, and ended up crashing into the police's patrol vehicle. 

The constable had fired at the car injuring Tewari under his left ear. He was brought into the hospital in the morning but he succumbed to his injuries. 

Tewari's ex-colleague, Sana Khan was in the car with him during the incident. An FIR (First Information Report) has been registered against the constable Prashant Kumar.

Prashant Kumar has been arrested and has been charged with murder and a case has been registered against him under IPC section 302. 

"The constable fired in self-defence believing that some criminals were inside the car as the victim tried to flee after hitting the patrol bike," Kalanidhi Naithani, senior superintendent of police told Hindustan Times.

Uttar Pradesh's Additional Director of Police, Anand Kumar claimed the incident could have been handled better, according to Times Now. He said, "If the situation demanded firing of a bullet, it could have been fired at the car's tyre, even then, it was not right to do so."

In another version of the incident, as reported by NDTV, Tewari repeatedly hit the police patrol bike. 

Vivek Tewari, 38, was an assistant sales manager at Apple. He is survived by a wife and two daughters.

An infographic released in May by TOI reported that at least 796 civilians have been killed by police in the past six years. A majority of these firings, however, have been during protests and riots.