Clash over land dispute led to death of two persons and leaving several others injured in Shahjahenpur while one criminal was gunned down in Mainpuri on Friday afternoon. According to reports from Shahjahenpur, one Devendra Singh, a native
Khudaganj hamlet of Pachchad was reportedly doing some construction work at the land belonging to Gram Samaj when a local villager Yogendra Singh came and objected on Friday morning. The matter took an ugly turn when both were joined by other villagers and they hurled abuses on each. later both the parties attacked each other and also opened fire in which both Devendra and Yogendra were killed while over a dozen others were injured. Surprisingly the local police which got information in time only reached the spot when the injured were already shifted to hospital. They get a case registered and dispatched both the bodies for post-mortem examination. In Mainpuri, 38-year-old Rajeev Verma, a resident of Karagjit Chauthiyana who had several criminal cases went to open his general merchant shop at Devi Road in Mainpuri on Friday morning. Suddenly three motorcycle borne youths arrived and opened indiscriminate fire at
Rajeev and after assuring that he was dead they all escaped. local police claimed some old enmity behind the murder. They sent the body for autopsy test and were probing the matter to identify the killers. Meanwhile two people were killed after violent clashes that broke out between villagers and policemen after a villager was allegedly murdered for objecting to illegal sand mining in Barabanki on Thursday.
Reports said that police opened fire on an angry mob that went on a rampage after the killing. Teargas shells were also fired to control the crowds that burnt vehicles and attacked policemen with stones for not arresting the accused. The incident occurred in Barabanki's Jauras village in loni Katra area, where farmer Ram Manorath Verma(45) was allegedly killed by sand mining mafia Gomti Yadav, who is reported to have links with the ruling Samajwadi party. The deceased had objected to illegally mined sand being dumped on his agricultural land. Gomti Yadav was mining sand for his brick kiln in the vicinity. Another person identified as Ramgopal was also shot dead by the police and threw the body in Gomti river. Deceased father said that his son was first attacked with sharp knives, beaten and then drowned in the Gomti river. He too was attacked and chased away by the accused. the body is yet to be fished out and there is an apprehension that it might have drifted away with the strong water currents.
Reports further said that after the above killings, irate mob blocked the lucknow-Sultanpur highway for several hours and torches a government bus and a liquor shop in loni Katra area. Police have lodged a case of murder against Gomti Yadav and four of his men. However, they say it is too early to conclusively say that the victim was killed for protesting against sand mining. The police are also silent about the political identity of Gomti Yadav. Heavy police force has been deployed in the area to avert any further clash.
Meanwhile three youths died when their motorcycle fell in a road side ditch near Palliabag village in Mubarakpur area of Azamagrh on Friday. According to reports, Noor Ahmad (21) who was driving the motorcycle at a high speed could not control it, following which the vehicle fell in a ditch killing Noor along with both pillion riders Tariq (19) and Rehan Khan (20). They were returning home on Friday morning after attending a programme in a nearby village when the incident took place. A case was registered in this regard and bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.