Fearing retaliation, men flee villages
APPREHENSION Villagers say they fear the police may do ‘anything’ to avenge the death of the inspector
SYANA (BULANDSHAHR) : The men of the Jat-dominated Chingrawathi and Mahaw villages fled after the killing of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, station house officer of Syana police station, in a clash between cops and villagers after alleged cow slaughter in Mahaw, a local activist said.
Bhartiya Kisan Union’s district incharge Tejvir Singh, who is also a resident of Chingrawthi village, claimed that all men and elderly persons fled the village due to fear of raids at night. “We are in contact with women through mobile phones and keeping an eye on police activities,” said Singh.
Six PAC trucks, along with RAF and civil police, are patrolling the area. Villagers say they fear the police may do ‘anything’ to avenge the death of the SHO’.
Sumit, 21, a resident of Chingrawthi village also died in the violence. His body was sent to Me erutf or postmortem. Singh said the villagers were apprehensive that police won’t allow them to bring body to the village for last rites.
He also said, “Anything could happen if the police dare to misbehave with women in the absence of men in the village.”
Chingrawathi has a population of over 3000 and Mahaw 2500. People here largely depend on agriculture. They are considered peaceful, but alleged cow slaughter at Mahaw angered them, he said. Activists of right-wing organisations also arrived in the village on Monday morning after receiving information about cow slaughter.
They blocked the Bu land shah ar-Garhmukteshwar road with the carcasses. The SHO’s driver claimed the mob had firearms and when they opened fire, a bullet pierced the left eyebrow of the police officer.
Ram Ashrey, the driver, and other police men tried to take him to hospital, but the mob surrounded them and compelled them to flee, leaving the injured SHO behind in the police vehicle, he said.
Bajrang Dal’s prant sanyojak Balraj Singh Dunger told HT he had directed his local leaders to submit a report of the incident and said it seemed the SHO died of shock after sustaining bullet injuries.