A security guard working in a bank in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh on Friday shot a customer in the thigh over an argument that allegedly started over the man not wearing a face mask as a COVID-19 safety measure.
The guard was taken into custody, said police. The injured customer is in a hospital. Ravindra Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Bareilly, said the customer — Rajesh Kumar — had gone to the bank at 11:30 a.m. when he got into an altercation with the guard.
The officer said only after the victim’s statement was recorded they would be able to ascertain the reason for the argument.
A relative of the bank customer said that when he arrived at the bank, the guard stopped Mr. Kumar from entering as he did not have a mask on. Mr. Kumar wore a mask and returned but the guard still denied him entry and asked him to come after the lunch break, said the relative. The guard then pushed him and shot him, she alleged.
