On Tuesday, 10 November, Mohammad Sharif, aka Sohail, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district. He was one of the convicts in the 2007 Rampur CRPF camp terror attack case. The killing took place 2-3 km from the Khajuria police station, minutes after Sharif had completed a routine police verification procedure and was heading home.
According to Rampur SP Anil Sisodia, Sharif was riding behind his 21-year-old son on a motorcycle when two individuals on another motorcycle opened fire on him near the Panwaria village crossing. Sharif sustained multiple bullet injuries and was rushed to a CHC (Community Health Centre) in Bilaspur, where doctors declared him dead. His son escaped unhurt. The attackers, who had covered their faces, fled the spot. An investigation has been launched to trace them.
थाना खजुरिया क्षेत्रान्तर्गत एक व्यक्ति की हुई हत्या के सम्बन्ध में #एसपीˍरामपुर द्वारा दी गयी बाइट । #UPPolice #RampurPolice https://t.co/s43GmJrAx7
— Rampur police (@rampurpolice) November 10, 2026
The 2007 Rampur CRPF camp attack and casualties
The attack on the CRPF Group Centre in Rampur occurred on the night of December 31, 2007. Terrorists carried out a pre-dawn assault on the camp. It was plotted by the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The strike drew national attention after seven CRPF personnel and a rickshaw puller were killed, while five others were injured in the firing.
Sharif was arrested in the aftermath of the attack and was named as a key accused. In 2019, a Rampur court convicted him and five others, including two Pakistani nationals, in the case. Four of the jihadi perpetrators, including Sharif, were sentenced to death after being found directly involved in the attack.
However, in October 2025, the Allahabad High Court set aside the death penalty and overturned the convictions on charges of murder, terrorism, and criminal conspiracy, citing serious procedural lapses in the investigation. The court, nevertheless, upheld their conviction under the Arms Act and sentenced them to ten years of rigorous imprisonment. Sharif was subsequently released from Bareilly Central Jail in November 2025 after spending over 17 years behind bars.
The Uttar Pradesh government had challenged the High Court’s decision before the Supreme Court, which issued a notice on the state’s appeal. Police have not yet established the motive behind Sharif’s killing. They are investigating whether it was linked to Sharif’s past involvement in the CRPF attack case or stemmed from another dispute.
