Attack on Bantu: Local history-sheeter key suspect

LUCKNOW: Although no FIR was lodged till late night, family members and close acquaintances of SP corporator Atul Yadav alias Bantu, who was shot at in Narhi on Sunday morning, were voicing suspicion about another history sheeter, Shiv Yadav and his father Badri Yadav of the same locality for the crime.

Bantu’s friends said he had strained relations with Badri for the past many years and Shiv had threatened Bantu with dire consequences a few days ago. Sources said the families of Bantu and Badri had enmity over collecting weekly fare from roadside vendors in Narhi market. However, the police did not confirm the claims.

Shiv has at least 11 criminal cases registered against him and is a listed history -sheeter of Hazratganj police station.

He is also said to be associated with another notorious criminal Vikram Singh of Narhi. SSP Rajesh Pandey said locals had confirmed the presence of Shiv Yadav on the crime scene. He said the police also had video footages of CCTVs installed at near-by buildings but nothing substantial had been found.

The SSP said, “A photographer, who was clicking the photographs of the funeral procession, has been approached and told to share pictures that he clicked. The photographs would make it clear as to who else was standing near Bantu”.

Some of Bantu’s supporters also suspected a builder whose apartment was sealed recently. “The builder’s under-construction building was sealed after Bantu filed a RTI application seeking details about it. Bantu had obstructed the construction of many buildings in the area by filing RTI applications,” said his close friend.

“Knowingly or unknowingly, Bantu had acted against the interest of several persons. Other than these two key suspects, Bantu had strained relations and enmity with several persons since he had become politically active in the area in the past 20 years,” said a close friend of Bantu, who knows him since childhood.

The SSP said the crime branch was already working on the case but the police were waiting for FIR from Bantu’s family. He said at least 10 persons from the locality had been detained and were being interrogated. The case would be solved soon, he added.