19 held for killing cop in Ghazipur
VIOLENCE BJP says no law & order problem in UP, slain constable’s son says no VIPs in rally came forward to help
LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: Nineteen people have been arrested in connection with the killing of a policeman in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district a day earlier, a senior police official said on Sunday, even as the son of the slain constable flayed the UP Police for not protecting their own.
Constable Suresh Pratap Singh Vats (48) was killed on Saturday when protesters hurled stones at vehicles returning from the venue of a public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was hit on the head by a stone when he went to end a traffic jam caused by the protests.
Director general of police (DGP) OP Singh, in a tweet, clarified that Vats was a head constable.
“The death of head constable Suresh Pratap Singh Vats in Ghazipur in stone pelting is extremely tragic. So far 19 accused in 3 cases have been arrested, which include 11 in the case of murder. Strict action will be taken against those involved in violence under stringent sections of law (sic),” the DGP said in a tweet.
Venting his ire, VP Singh, the son of the deceased policeman, said, “If the police are not able to protect their co-workers then what sort of protection can a common man expect from them.” He said none of the dignitaries who were present at the PM’s rally came forward to help. “A video of the incident was posted on YouTube. One can see when the rally ended, clashes broke out and near the site of the incident, several VIPs sitting in their cars were passing. Not even a single dignitary stopped the car and tried to resolve the issue. Everybody was concerned about saving their own lives,” he said.
Singh further said that by merely giving compensation or
providing a government job to the kin of the deceased is not going to curb the problems of crime and violence. “Earlier, similar incidents took place in Bulandshahr and Pratapgarh. How can the government compensate for the lost lives?” he questioned.
The death of constable Vats comes on the heels of the death of another policeman, inspector Subodh Singh, who was killed in the mob violence that erupted over allegations of cow slaughter in western Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr on December 3.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday termed Saturday’s incident was a failure on the part of the administration. “This incident took place because chief minister Yogi Adityanath, whether he is in the assembly or on a stage, he only talks about violence. Sometimes the police doesn’t know who to beat up, other times the public doesn’t know who to beat up,” Yadav told reporters.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union minister Piyush Goyal sought to allay fears of deteriorating law and order in the state. He said that the while it was unfortunate that Bulandshahr and Ghazipur incidents happened, some elements are trying to disturb the environment in Uttar Pradesh. Speaking to media in New Delhi, Goyal said, “After the Yogi government coming to power, the law and order situation has improved and people also realise this.”
“All the illegal activities have stopped now. Some people have also told me that unlawful element nowadays feel better to stay behind the bars rather than being out of the jail. I think such a law and order situation is being witnessed for the first time in Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
According to superintendent of police (Ghazipur) Yashveer Singh, the protesters were workers from the Rashtriya Nishad Party who were prevented by the administration and the police from going to the rally venue. “When the prime minister had left Ghazipur, the party workers blocked traffic at various places and started pelting stones on the vehicles returning from the programme venue,” he said on Saturday.
The SP said the police are trying to identify other protesters by scanning video footage of the incident.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of ~40 lakh for the wife of Vats and ~10 lakh for his parents, the state government said. Adityanath also directed the district magistrate and the superintendent of police to take strict action against unruly elements and arrest them immediately.
Modi had addressed a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for a medical college and releasing a postal stamp on Maharaj Suheldev. He had left for Varanasi when the violence in Ghazipur took place.