Three men have been lynched and two have been burnt alive during a group clash that took place on 26 June in Raebareli, according to Hindustan Times.
Police reports claim that the clash at the district’s Etaura Bujurg stemmed from a long-drawn tussle between the village head Ram Shri Yadav and his archfoe Rohit Shukla.
Shukla and his supporters allegedly attacked Yadav’s three sons Raja Yadav, Pradeep Yadav and Krishna Yadav around 8.30 pm, leading to firing from both sides.
Meanwhile, supporters of Yadav also started pouring into the spot. In an attempt to escape from the clutches of the police, Shukla and his companions got into a Tata Safari. But, during the chase, the driver lost control and fell into a ditch after hitting an electric pole.
Yadav’s men took this opportunity to pounce on them. Shukla’s men were pulled out of the vehicle and lynched them. The Safari was then set ablaze, burning alive two men who were inside the vehicle.
Rohit Shukla, the alleged opponent of the village head was killed in this episode. Brijesh Shukla, Anoop Mishra, Narendra Shukla and Alok Mishra were also among the deceased.
Speaking to The Logical Indian, Deputy Superintendent of Police, SP Upadhyay, confirmed, “Six people including Yadav’s three sons have been detained in connection with the incident, and a large contingent of police has been deployed in the village to ensure peace. The investigation is still going on.”
Several senior officials including the Additional Director General, Lucknow Zone, the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police of the district rushed to the spot on hearing about the incident, so as to prevent any more skirmishes.
Additional forces have been deployed in the village. A forensic team collected samples from the spot, and a police team was constituted to arrest the remaining of the accused.
A probe has been ordered into the incident, and the bodies have been sent for postmortem.
Mob violence has been on the rise in the country for past couple of months. The attack in Raebareli draws specific significance because it occurred only a few hours before the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath hailed performance of his government that completed 100 days on Tuesday.
The Logical Indian community severely condemns the rising incidents of mob violence and urges the concerned authorities to look into the matter. It is essential that law and order be reinstated in the area and the perpetrators are caught.
