Delhi violence: Head Constable Rattan Lal died helping people, says kin

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He claimed a police personnel, who was with Lal at the time, told him that “when stone-pelting began, everyone jumped over the road divider and ran for cover. Some senior officers were injured during this. As [Lal] was trying to make officers go over the divider, a lot of stones hit him and he fell.”

The personnel then pulled Lal up and made him go over to the other side, “but he didn’t know how a bullet hit him in all of this,” said his cousin. Police sources confirmed he had received a gunshot wound.

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Tributes were paid to Lal Tuesday by Delhi Police chief Amulya Patnaik, L-G Anil Baijal, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and senior Delhi Police officers. His body was brought to Shaheed Smarak Sthal in North Delhi’s Kingsway Camp and was later handed over to his family, who will be travelling to their native place in Rajasthan for the last rites.

His younger brother Manoj Kumar (36), who lives in Bengaluru, flew to Delhi Monday when he heard the news: “His family is in deep grief… I used to look up to him for advice. He was good at everything he did.”

Head constables Kapil Kumar and Pramod Joshi worked with Lal between 2007 and 2010 as constables at Krishna Nagar. Kumar said, “He was a friendly person who kept in touch with everyone.”