FEARING COPS, 8 MUSLIM FAMILIES ‘MIGRATE’ FROM KAUSHAMBI VILLAGE
ALLAHABAD : At least eight Muslim families have ‘migrated’ from Surseni village, under Sarai Akil police station of Kaushambi district, allegedly due to harassment by police, claimed some villagers who don’t want to be named. They alleged that police have falsely implicated some male members of their families after a minor clash over taking a video of a sand laden tractor passing through their village last month.
ALLAHABAD:At least eight Muslim families have ‘migrated’ from Surseni village, under Sarai Akil police station of Kaushambi district, allegedly due to harassment by police, claimed some villagers who don’t want to be named.
They alleged that police have falsely implicated some male members of their families after a minor clash over taking a video of a sand laden tractor passing through their village last month.
The aggrieved families alleged that policemen raided the village and ransacked several houses in the name of ‘search operation’. Fearing more police action, many families have left and taken shelter at their relatives’ homes in other villages, claim villagers.
However, SP, Kaushambi, Pradeep Gupta denied that people had migrated from the village.
He said some tractors were seized during a drive against illegal mining in Sarai Akil area. “While the police were taking action, a lawyer Rajendra Dwivedi tried to shoot a video from his mobile, which resulted in the clash. The accused pelted stones on the police when they tried to rescue Dwivedi,” Gupta said.
An FIR was lodged against some named and 60 unidentified persons for attacking police, going on a rampage and illegal sand mining, he said. “Some of the accused have been arrested and raids are being carried out to nab the others. Some accused may have fled the village but no family has migrated,” Gupta added.
Meanwhile, some Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders visited the village and alleged harassment of the villagers by police.
“Police is harassing innocent people in the name of arresting the accused and this will not be tolerated,” alleged Kaushambi district Congress chief Talat Azeem, who visited the village on Wednesday.
According to a villager, on June 24 there was an altercation between one Nisar (he goes by one name) and a lawyer Rajendra Dwivedi over making of a video of a sand laden tractor. This resulted in a clash between the two groups in which many people got injured.
The villager said police raids continued even after several days of the clash. The cops ransacked many homes in the name of searching for the accused who are on the run, he claimed.
Fearing police action many families, including those of Hannan, Ilyas, Mansur, Bassan and some others have left the village after locking their houses, said the villager, who did not want to be named fearing police action.