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Below is a detailed, chronological account of how the Uttar Pradesh police killed a 19-year-old Muslim youth, Asad, in the early hours of May 31, 2026, in Ghaziabad. Asad was shot dead by police in an alleged “encounter” three days after he allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old Hindu boy, Surya Chauhan, over a personal dispute. Chauhan died in a hospital in Noida.

This account is based entirely on statements by senior police officers and the criminal report lodged by the police after the alleged “encounter,” a copy of which has been accessed by The Wire. The statements and report leave questions unanswered: Police says it administered first aid to Asad to stem the bleeding before taking him to hospital. Yet their account does not disclose where he was shot, the nature of his injuries, or how many bullets struck him. What evidence links the escaped man to the shootout? Why was one police cartridge never found?  

New Delhi: Asad, a resident of Ghaziabad’s Khoda area, was wanted in connection with the stabbing of a local youth Surya Chauhan. Asad allegedly stabbed Surya during an altercation on May 28 that started over a dispute the two had over riding a bike, according to Ghaziabad police DCP Dhawal Jaiswal. When the two met again on May 28, things escalated and Asad stabbed Surya “in a fit of rage,” said the senior officer. Surya succumbed to his injuries the following day.

On Sunday (May 31) morning, a little past 6.30 am, Uttar Pradesh (UP) police announced that Asad had been shot in “retaliatory fire” and died during treatment at a hospital. Asad had been on the run since May 28, and a bounty of Rs 50,000 had been declared on him, said Dhawal Jaiswal, DCP City/Trans Hindon, Ghaziabad.

A couple of hours later, at 8.49 am, an FIR was lodged by Ghaziabad police on the complaint of Inspector Naresh Kumar Sharma, who led the “encounter” team. The FIR names two persons – Asad and a second unidentified person – and books them for attempted murder, dishonestly receiving or retaining stolen goods and possessing and using illegal arms. According to police, the shooting took place two kilometres northeast of the Indirapuram police station.

According to inspector Sharma, the operation began at 1.57 am when he along with a sub-inspector, a head constable, two constables and a driver........

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