A tragic incident in California claimed the life of a 26-year-old man from Barah Kalan village, Jind district, Haryana. The man, identified as Kapil, was shot dead after he objected to another individual urinating in public outside the store where he worked as a security guard.

Family members recounted that what began as a simple plea to maintain public decorum turned fatal,“He simply asked a man not to urinate in the open, and for that, he was shot.”

Bystanders called the police immediately after the shooting. Kapil was rushed to a nearby hospital but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

Having departed India in 2022 via the perilous “donkey route,” his passage had cost his family approximately Rs 45 lakh (about $54,000). Though Kapil was initially detained upon entering the U.S., he was later freed and began working and sending support home.

His uncle, Ramesh Kumar, expressed deep sorrow over the loss, “We got information from US police officials about Kapil’s death. The officials told us that Kapil had asked a US national not to urinate on the road near his store and then a verbal spat ensued. Following which, the local man took out his pistol and shot at my nephew.”

Born May 22, 2000, Kapil was the sole son of a farming family that is now struggling financially to cover repatriation costs. The family estimates it will require around Rs 15 lakh to bring his body back to India. The postmortem is scheduled to occur on Wednesday due to a U.S. public holiday, and as of now, there has been no statement from U.S. authorities regarding any arrests.

“He Objected, Got Shot” — Sarpanch on Kapil’s US Murder

Village head, Suresh Kumar Gautam, added, “Kapil was shot dead by a resident when he tried to stop him from urinating in public… While Kapil was on duty, he saw a man urinating on the road outside the store where he worked and objected to it… The man had an argument with him and the accused then took out a gun and shot him dead.”

Gautam plans to accompany Kapil’s family to meet the Jind Deputy Commissioner and appeal to both the Haryana and central governments for assistance in repatriating his body.