Despite of heavy deployment of force and alert, the Saharanpur administration once again failed to maintain peace in the district when the brother of the district president of Bheem Army, was shot dead on Wednesday.
The sensational killing took place hardly 100 meters away from the Maharana Pratap Bhawan where the celebration of birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap was going on. The killing went like a wild fire and within no time, hundred of Bheem Army supporters, who already opposed district administration for permitting the celebration, gathered at district hospital and clashed with the members of law enforcing agencies. They snatched the body of the victim to protest the killing.
later district magistrate of Saharanpur, PK Pande, and SSP Saharanpur, Babloo Kumar, reached the spot and used force to take the victim’s body in their custody and sent it for post-mortem examination. The administration also reportedly closed schools and colleges for Thursday finding the situation `tense’. The internet services has been also suspended to check any rumour spreading in the district.
Divisional Commissioner of Saharanpur, Chandra Prakash Tripathi, who also reached the spot claimed that the motive behind the killing or the identity of the killers is yet to be ascertained. He claimed that a case has been already registered in this regard and further investigations are on to trace out the killers. ADG of Meerut Zone, Prashant Kumar said that they were probing that how the killing took place in presence of heavy police force. He suspect some foulplay and said that the investigation would clear the facts behind the killing.
Reports said that in wake of large scale arson and violence last year on occasion of Maharana Pratap birth anniversary celebration, the district administration deployed heavy police force comprising of 600 policemen, companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary and also positioned senior police officers at Maharana Pratap Bhawan to ensure that no untoward incident took place. Surprisingly, despite of strong opposition of the Bheem Army members to not give permission to upper caste members to celebrate the birth anniversary this year, the administration sanctioned permission with the restriction that not more than 200 persons will participate in the `Shobha Yatra’.
Reports further said that when the event was in full swing and the Yatra was on way when hundred meters away from the Maharana Pratap Bhawan, some unknown allegedly person opened fire critically injuring Bheem Army district president of Saharanpur, Kamal Waliya’s brother Sachin Waliya, at Malhipur Road under the Kotwali Dehat area of the district. Hearing the gun shots, the supporters of the Bheem Army and Kamal rushed to the spot but till then, the killers managed to escape. They rushed the victim to District Hospital where the doctors pronounced Sachin dead upon arrival. learning of the death, the Bheem Army supporters gathered in large number and staged a protest against the administration. They also snatched the body of the victim from the police and put it on road to protest the killing. The situation could be only brought under some control after heavy police reached the spot along with senior officers and dispatched the body for post-mortem examination. Kamla Waliya, who was recently out on bail after being arrested in last year’s violence claimed that several participants in the Shobha Yatra were carrying arms but the administration turned a blind eye. He alleged that the killing was administration sponsored and that now efforts were on to dilute the issue.