Meerut was rocked with a series of sensational murders in which a former chairman's nephew was sprayed with bullets while two more, including a lady, were killed in a separate incident.
The killing of the former chairman's nephew also sparked tension in the area and a heavy police force was camping there to avert any untoward incident.
According to reports, a heavy police force was deployed in Palda village on Monday after tensions prevailed following the murder of a 24-year-old nephew of a former chairman on Sunday.
Sources confirmed that relatives of the deceased torched fields that belonged to the accused of a different community.
Police officials, who staged a flag march in the Hastinapur block, later said the situation was under control.
Several roads were blocked and restrictions were placed on the movement of people inside the block, especially those from outside the village.
The victim was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Palda village of Meerut on Sunday. According to the police station in-charge, the incident took place when the youth, identified as Vishnu, was sitting with a friend near a primary school in the village. Five shots were fired at him by the assailants.
After the fatal attack, the youth was rushed to a hospital, where the doctors pronounced him dead.
Soon, the relatives of the deceased blocked the road stretch, demanding justice for the youth and arrest of the killers. The police detained several persons from the spot.
According to the locals in the village, members of different communities of the victim and the assailants had earlier also scuffled during Holi celebrations. However, the situation was controlled.
Commenting on the incident, Meerut’s Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh said the motorcycle-borne assailants had fired shots at three people sitting on the boundary wall of a school in the village. Of the three people, one died of bullet injuries, he said.
"The police have detained several people in the case, while further investigations are underway," Singh said.
Meanwhile, two persons, including a woman, were shot dead in Salempur village after an argument among children escalated, leading to a heated exchange of words and scuffle among the elders, officials said on Monday.
Mehraj and Iqbal, both residents of the village, had a fight on Sunday following an argument among their children, police said.
"Mehraj (35) was shot at when he had gone to offer namaz at the village mosque. He was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment," Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kamlesh Bahadur said.
Following this, some people reached Iqbal`s house and fired at his wife, Afroz (45). She was taken to a private hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, the police officer said.
The district police chief said that family members of both sides were absconding following the incident.
A case has been registered against six members of each side and efforts are on to arrest them, he said.