Can a person shoot themselves in chest with rifle, SC asks MP

NEW DELHI: Is it possible for a person to shoot themselves in the chest with a rifle? Supreme Court raised this question while wondering whether the death of a man, who died in similar circumstances, was really a case of suicide as alleged by the prosecution or one of murder.

Hearing a plea against anticipatory bail granted to an accused who is facing an abetment of suicide charge, a bench of justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan sought Madhya Pradesh govt's response on whether the case was probed from all angles, raising doubts on the police report that it was a case of suicide.

"To our understanding, whether a person would be able to use a rifle to shoot himself on the chest needs examination. In such circumstances, we deem it appropriate to require the state to file an affidavit whether the investigating agency has investigated all aspects of the matter including possibility of a murder," the bench said.

As per the prosecution, the deceased died by suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a rifle. Relying on the prosecution's version, the high court granted anticipatory bail to the accused under IPC Section 306 . "Such affidavit shall be filed within a period of two weeks. Along with the affidavit, the autopsy report of the deceased as well as the material collected during investigation, particularly in respect of seizure and length of the rifle, shall be disclosed/filed," SC said.