Jaipur, Aug 13 : A female student was shot near a coaching centre in the Manji Ka Hatha area of Rajasthan's Jodhpur on Wednesday, officials said.

Officials confirmed that the 21-year-old student preparing for the Sub-Inspector recruitment exam was shot in the elbow.

The victim, Renu Vishnoi of Ramdawas village, was having tea at a shop near her coaching centre around 6 p.m. on Wednesday when the incident occurred.

Initially, police claimed that she was injured by a stone ricocheting from a vehicle tyre.

However, an X-ray at Mathuradas Mathur (MDM) Hospital revealed a bullet lodged in her elbow.

The discovery prompted police to call in the Forensic Science Laboratory and review the CCTV footage from the area to identify the shooter.

According to witnesses, a retired soldier present at the spot heard a sound striking his car's bonnet moments before noticing the injured girl.

Renu was first taken to Suncity Hospital before being shifted to MDM Hospital for treatment.

Former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot condemned the incident on social media, calling it "extremely worrying, condemnable, and intolerable", and questioned the state's law and order situation ahead of the Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's visit to Jodhpur for the Independence Day celebrations.

Gehlot said that he had spoken to the Jodhpur Commissioner, who assured that the culprits would be arrested soon.

Chief Minister Sharma will be travelling to Jodhpur on Thursday and will mark his presence on state level Independence Day celebrations in Jodhpur on Friday.

/IANS