An advocate was killed and another seriously injured on Wednesday when a Sub-Inspector allegedly opened fire in self-defence inside the district court premises. A police Constable also sustained injuries in the fracas. The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon when Sub-Inspector Shailendra Singh brought a criminal to the court for a hearing. Singh, according to the police, had an altercation with some of the lawyers present in the court.
This reportedly led to manhandling of the officer, who is then alleged to have opened fire with his service weapon at Advocate Nabi Ahmad. Another lawyer standing with him is reported to have sustained gunshot injures on his foot. “According to some advocates, Singh opened fire in self-defence when some lawyers threatened to beat him up,” says Mrityunjay Mishra, Allahabad Police spokesperson. Meanwhile,Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav later announced an ex gratia of Rs.10 lakh for the family of the deceased lawyer.
Enraged after the incident, lawyers resorted to violence at Allahabad District Court, the High Court and at the office of Senior Superintendent of Police. Angry lawyers blocked traffic and torched nearly a dozen Government vehicles on the Allahabad-Kanpur Highway. About 10 lawyers were injured when police resorted to lathicharge in the court premises. The official cars of the Advocate General of UP and Chief Standing Counsel were also damaged.
According to District Magistrate Bhavnath Singh, the gunshot was fired “from the agitating advocates’ side,” even as the lawyers alleged that police was firing in the air to “scare away the protesters and the said constable was injured during open firing”.
The agitation at the High Court was pacified only after a group of senior High Court judges including Justices Arun Tandon, RD Khare and PKS Baghel walked to the spot and requested them to calm down even though normal flow of traffic could not be resumed on account of vehicles set ablaze on the roadside. The High Court judges told the advocates that they would personally visit the district court premises “to take stock of the situation”.
Following the incident, senior administrative and police officials including the district magistrate, Bhavnath Singh, inspector general of police (Allahabad Zone), BB Sharma, deputy inspector general of police, Bhagwan Swarup and senior superintendent of police, Deepak Kumar rushed to the spot. To bring the situation under control, six companies of PAC were also deployed. Companies of Rapid Action Force were also deployed at the district court and High Court to control the situation. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
In their bid to bring normalcy, senior police officials engaged the representatives of the lawyers for talks. Meanwhile, the district court lawyers have threatened to go on indefinite strike from Thursday till the police sub-inspector who allegedly opened fire is arrested.