Over a dozen persons, including policemen, were injured when an agitated mob, protesting a death in a road accident clashed with the police in Azamgarh on Wednesday morning.
As per reports, Rohit (25) of Ganjaur area of Mehnagar was returning home on a motorcycle when a speeding Tata Sumo crushed him to death at Rani Ki Sarai late on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday morning, as the police handed over the victim's body to his family members after post-mortem examination, the locals placed it on the main road and staged a blockade arresting the erring driver's arrest and compensation for the victim’s family.
The situation took an ugly turn when the police tried to clear the blockade forcibly. Angered by this, the locals started pelting stones and clashed with the police. After struggling for half an hour, the cops somehow chased away the protesters.
Over a dozen persons including cops were injured in the clash and they had to be shifted to a hospital. A case was registered in this regard but no one was arrested.
In a separate incident, a middle-aged man was battered to death by unidentified assailants in Deogaon area of Azamgarh.
Prem Bahadur Ram (45) of Tomalpur hamlet was attacked by unknown persons while he was sleeping at his house late on Tuesday night. The family members heard his screams and rushed to his rescue but failed to nab the culprits who fled. The victim was taken to BHU, Varanasi in a critical condition where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Irked by the incident, locals took the body and blocked the Azamgarh-Varanasi road demanding arrest of the culprits on Wednesday afternoon. On assurance by senior officers, the protest was called off after about two hours. A case was registered and the body was sent for postmortem.
Meanwhile in a road accident, five of a marriage party were killed and two others injured when a van carrying them collided with a truck coming from the opposite side in Etah on Tuesday evening.
The incident occurred as the van driver tried to overtake another vehicle near Margojia village. The victims were traveling to Kanupura village in Ferozabad to attend a wedding. The van driver and two others died on the spot while two others died on way to the hospital. Two persons have been admitted to Agra medical college. A case was registered in this regard.