Lawyer shot dead over threedecade long enmity

LUCKNOW: Over three decades old enmity between two groups of villagers in Gosaiganj, led to the murder of a 40-year-old lawyer by a group of armed assailants here early on Saturday morning. The victim’s family had accused five people of the same village for the crime.

LUCKNOW: Over three decades old enmity between two groups of villagers in Gosainganj, led to the murder of a 40-year-old practising lawyer by a group of armed assailants here early on Saturday morning. The victim’s family had accused five people of the same village for the crime.

The incident took place in Dehramau village, when the victim Shrikant Singh, along with his younger brother Kapil Dev Singh, had gone to attend natures call in open field at around 5.30am. He was shot on his back and in his left eye following which he died on the spot.

Kapil Dev told the cops that he was attending the natures call at around 25 metres away from his brother when he got alerted by the bullet sound and rushed towards his brother.

He said he spotted his uncle Ajay, his two sons Vishal and Vikas, their aide Chandra Sekhar and his son Sarwan standing there with firearms in their hands.

He said they murdered his brother after finding him alone in retaliation to a dispute that happened between them on Friday over shifting of an electric pole near their houses.

Kapil added that they opened fire on him when he tried to rescue Shrikant and fled brandishing firearms when other villagers turned up after hearing the bullet sound.

Satish Kumar, additional superintendent of police (ASP), Rural Area, said the murder is the fall out of enmity between the two groups after a murder of one Brij Mohan Singh of the lawyer’s family in May 1987.

Since then, the two groups used to clash with each other over one or the other issue and multiple counter FIRs are lodged in this three decade old enmity, he said.

The ASP said Ajay’s wife had lodged an FIR of stalking against Shrikant and others on March 24 this year. In retaliation, a woman of Shrikant’s family lodged an FIR of stalking and attempt to murder against Ajay and his family members.

He added that Ajay had also managed to get police security cover posing life threat from Shrikant and his family.

Two police personnel were deployed in his security since then.

Kumar said the brawl that took place on Friday between Shrikant and the alleged people over shifting of electric pole added on fuel to their enmity and subsequently led to the murder. He said two bullet shells have been recovered from the crime scene.

The ASP added that the alleged people were found missing from their house after the incident. Cops are carrying out extensive raids in their search after registering an FIR under IPC sections 302 for murder and 307 for attempt to murder.