Over dozen police personnel including DIG Range, Agra, were injured after violent protests broke out in Firozabad over the killing of two police constables by unidentified assailants.
The sensational incident took place on Sunday night while the family members of the deceased staged a protest on Monday demanding suspension of SP City, Rakesh Kumar Pandey, who is also holding charge of district police chief, besides registration of case against the local station officer. Interestingly, the incident also draws strong reaction from the Centre which said it is concerned over the law and order situation in Uttar pradesh. Under attack over a spate of rapes in the state, the ruling Samajwadi Party accused the media of “targeting” its government under a “conspiracy sponsored by BJP.”
Protests erupted in the the Firozabad city, at Subhash crossing near the district hospital
with locals demanding immediate arrest of those involved in the killing of the two constables at Sailai road on late Sunday night. DIG (Range), Agra, Vijay Singh Meena was one of those injured as the irate crowd resorted to brick-batting. Several shops and
vehicles were damaged by the angry mob which also blocked the road and torched a police vehicle. IG Agra Zone,Sunil Kumar Gupta, also reached the spot with heavy police force and used mild force to defuse the situation.
According to police, the two constables were shot dead by unidentified miscreants during a chase in the Ramgarh area here.The incident took place when the constables Dinesh Pratap Singh and Giriraj Kishore Gujjar, aged between 30-32 years, were chasing a group of miscreants. While Giriraj died on the spot after being shot, Dinesh was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed during treatment. Following the incident, SO Ramgarh police station, Ajay Kumar Yadav and Sub-Inspector Omar Farooq have been suspended, DIG Meena said. Additional personnel have been rushed to the area where
the protests are taking place, police said, adding that a manhunt has been launched to nab the assailants.
In Delhi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “the Ministry of Home Affairs is concerned over the prevailing ‘law and Order’ situation in UP. We are closely monitoring the situation in UP.” In Varanasi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said, “I know
the reason (for the incident). I know this district. Firozabad is our district. I have decided to give Rs 20 lakh each to the families of the two constables. They were brave policemen. They died while maintaining law and order.” Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said, “This should not be taken as some politics being done by us because their government is of a different party. Whatever the government — whether of our party or of some other party, everybody is worried if the law and order situation is not good.”
Hitting out at the UP government, senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it has failed on all fronts. “The result is administrative incompetence... the administrative
chaos is clearly visible,” he said. Former Congress MP Rashid Alvi said, “We are very much worried about the law and order situation in UP...Whatever is happening is very unfortunate and strict action should be taken.” The SP lashed out at the media. “The media is selectively targeting the SP government in the state. Why does the media
have so much interest in the state. The incidents in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat are not highlighted by them. It’s a well-planned conspiracy sponsored by either the Centre or the BJP against the state government,” SP National General Secretary Naresh Agarwal said. He said the media could not see incidents in West Bengal and Bihar, but only targeted UP. He said a lot of hue and cry was raised over the Badaun incident, but now that CBI was probing the matter, everyone would know the truth. Two teenaged cousin sisters were found hanging from a tree in Badaun, triggering widespread outrage. The reactions by BJP and Congress leaders came against the backdrop of a spate of incidents in UP in the last few days including the killing of two police constables, burning
alive of a labourer and molestation of a French woman. Over the weekend, another woman said she had been gang-raped in Badaun. The suspects included a police officer’s
son who has still not been arrested. A woman alleged last week that she was gang-raped at a police station in UP’s Hamirpur district. The BJP’s leaders in the state have also voiced their serious concerns over a series of attacks on local party leaders. Three BJP local leaders have been killed in the state over the last one week.