India

Three Family Members Killed in Lucknow Parking Dispute, Shooter Claims Self‑Defence

By TNN

Two more than‑two‑minute videos posted online show the daylight shooting of three men from the same family in Lucknow’s Saadatganj on October 24. The footage records 29‑year‑old Rishabh Shukla opening fire on the victims and repeatedly asserting that he acted in self‑defence. The clips capture family members screaming, people scrambling on the street, and Shukla walking with a pistol while shouting that he had been attacked before he fired. In one clip Shukla is seen shooting Shambhu first, then Shiva Tiwari and his son Suyash. After the shooting, one victim lies injured near a black car, pleading for help and saying he has been shot. Background voices claim the men were being beaten with sticks, and Shukla is heard saying, “They beat me with bricks.” He later says several people were present and that he “shot them all,” maintaining self‑defence. Sources say the dispute escalated as both sides began recording each other, and police had advised the Tiwari family to record videos if they felt threatened. Shukla is a state‑level shooter who has won medals in competitive events; he posted firearms content on social media. Police learned that he participated in a pre‑state‑level trap shooting competition in 2024 and won a medal, and was reportedly felicitated by members of a state rifle shooting body. Police have not yet verified claims that he had earlier served in the Navy. The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) removed encroachment on Nazul land linked to the accused’s property after the killings. The LDA had sealed the house, citing illegal construction, and demolished its boundary wall on Tuesday night. LDA Additional Secretary Gyanendra Verma said the building plan had not been approved. The action followed allegations by the victims’ family that the house stood on encroached Nazul land and that the property should be demolished. Police have arrested six people in connection with the killings, and two police personnel, including the Saadatganj station house officer, were suspended following the incident.