New Delhi: The gun used by Bhagat Singh to shoot at and kill British officer John Saunders on December 17, 1928, has been identified.

The freedom fighter had shot down Saunders, held responsible for the death Lala Lajpat Rai, in broad daylight.

The .32mm Colt automatic pistol was on display at the BSF (Border Security Force) Central School of Weapons and Tactics (CWST); however, there was no mention that it belonged to Singh.

It was put on display for the first time at the BSF's Indore museum on Tuesday, reports The Indian Express.

Custodian of the CSWT museum, Vijendra Singh, told The Times of India, "We were surprised when we removed the black paint on the pistol and matched the serial number (168896) with our records last year. It was Bhagat Singh's pistol."

Bhagat Singh was hanged on March 23, 1931.