Indian President’s Bodyguard Shot in Head During Diwali Firecracker Dispute in UP

A 26-year-old Indian Army soldier serving with the elite President’s Bodyguard at Rashtrapati Bhavan was shot in the head following a dispute over bursting firecrackers on Diwali night in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district. He is now out of danger after undergoing successful surgery.

The injured soldier, Saurabh Tomar, a resident of Gopalpur Khadana village in the Ramala police station area, had returned home on leave to celebrate Diwali with his family. On November 8, at around 9:45–10 pm, he was bursting firecrackers on the road outside his house along with his brothers, Vineet and Mintu, when two neighbours, identified as brothers Dheeraj and Monu, alias Praveen, objected.

An argument broke out between the two sides, mainly involving Vineet. According to the family’s complaint, the confrontation escalated when Dheeraj allegedly pulled out a country-made pistol and opened fire. The bullet first struck a wall before hitting Saurabh behind the ear and becoming lodged in his head.

The accused also allegedly attacked Vineet with a stick and threatened the family before fleeing the scene.

Family members initially rushed Saurabh to the Community Health Centre in Baraut. He was subsequently shifted to a private hospital in Meerut, where doctors performed surgery and successfully removed the bullet. Although his condition was initially described as critical, subsequent updates confirmed that he was stable and out of danger.

Police have registered an FIR against Dheeraj and Monu on charges of attempted murder following a written complaint by the soldier’s father, Janakraj. Several police teams have been formed to trace and arrest the two accused, who remain absconding.

Saurabh joined the President’s Bodyguard in 2021 and is currently posted at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The President’s Bodyguard, raised in 1773, is the Indian Army’s oldest and senior-most cavalry regiment and is entrusted with ceremonial duties and the close protection of the President of India.

Saurabh is married and has a young child. Police personnel have also been deployed in the village to prevent any further escalation of tensions.