In a senstaional shootout inside the Baghpat District Jail on Monday morning, east UP gangster Prem Prakash Singh aka Munna Bajrangi was shot dead by west UP ganglord Sunil Rathi.
The killing took place barely a few hours after Bajrangi was shifted from Jhansi to Baghpat jail on Sunday night. He was scheduled to be brought in a Baghpat court on Monday in connection with an extortion case.
Early on Monday morning, Bajrangi had a tiff with Rathi, also lodged in the same jail. The incident culminated in Rathi firing 10 rounds from a 9mm pistol from close range and hitting Bajrangi on his head and torso. Rathi later threw the handgun in a gutter inside the jail. later in the eveing the murder weapon was recovered.
On June 29, at a Press conference in lucknow, Bajrangi’s wife Seema Singh had sought protection for her husband apprehending threat to his life and alleged that the UP Police was planning to kill him during his transit from Jhansi jail to Baghpat. She even charged that a senior STF officer was orchestrating her husband’s killing. Bajrangi had allegedly made the extortion call to former BSP MlA lokesh Dikshit.
Reacting to the killing, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said stern action will be taken against those found guilty. “Such an incident occurring inside a jail is a serious matter. An in-depth probe will be conducted and strict action be taken against those responsible,” Yogi told the media in Moradabad.
Admitting negligence on part of jail officials, ADG (Prisons) Chandra Prakash suspended four officials, including Jailor Udai Pratap Singh, Deputy Jailor Shivaji Yadav, Head Warden Arjinder Singh and Warden Madhav Kumar of Bagpath district jail.
Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said an enquiry by a judicial magistrate has been ordered, as per procedure prescribed by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to probe how an inmate got access to a firearm inside the jail. He said an FIR was registered against Rathi.
“The NHRC has been informed and the autopsy would be done by a panel of doctors which will be video recorded,” Kumar said and added that senior officials have rushed to the scene of crime.
Meanwhile, Bajrangi’s wife Seema Singh and other kin rushed to the CM’s residence in lucknow to register their protest but as the CM was not in the city, they returned.