Dalit youth shot dead by village head’s kin

LUCKNOW : A dalit youth was shot dead by an upper caste man in village Sarai Maddu under Bewar police station of Mainpuri on Monday.

The accused, relative of village pradhan, was arrested after a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, IPC section 302 (murder) and others, was registered against him, police said.

The incident took place when the deceased, along with other villagers, was chasing the accused for firing and pelting stones at a religious gathering organised in the village.

According to sources, an elderly, who was much respected in the Sarai Maddu village, took ‘samadhi’ two years back and thus a ‘bhagwat’ was organised in the village by a Saxena family. The deceased, Mukesh, 25, was a mechanic and was handling the generator used at the function. “The accused, Vijay Singh, is a relative of the village head and was drunk when he reached the spot. He fired in air and also pelted stones. Their ate villagers then chased Singh who ran towards the ravines nearby,” said Ajay Shankar Rai, superintendent of police (SP), Mainpuri.

“Finding himself trapped, Singh fired at the crowd chasing him and the bullet struck Mukesh in the chest and he died on the spot. A case was registered under section 302, 307 of the IPC and relevant provision of the SC/ST Act,” said Rai. The accused was arrested after Dinesh Jatav, brother of the deceased, lodged an FIR at the Bewar police station.