The Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand police were on Thursday engaged in a blame game by registering cross FIRs in connection with a cross-firing that took place between the U.P. cops and alleged sand mining mafia in an Uttarakhand village. The wife of a block pramukh was killed and five police personnel were injured in the incident.
The clash between the police and locals took place when a U.P. police team was chasing one Zafar Ali, said to be a mining mobster, in Bharatpur of the Uttarakhand territory on Wednesday night. Zafar carries a reward of ₹50,000 for information leading to his capture.
Deputy inspector general (DIG)-Moradabad range Shalabh Mathur said the Moradabad police registered an FIR invoking several sections of the IPC that cover rioting, harbouring an offender, resisting arrest, attempt to murder, dacoity, causing hurt to public servant, criminal conspiracy and others against the residents of Bharatpur near Jaspur town of Uddham Singh Nagar district.
Moradabad senior superintendent of police (SSP) Hemant Kutiyal said the FIR was registered against Zafar, a wanted criminal, and 35 others who were not named.
Meanwhile, Uddham Singh Nagar SSP Manjunath TC said the Uttarakhand police have registered an FIR against U.P. police’s 10-12 personnel for murder and other relevant sections of the IPC, on the complaint of the deceased’s husband lodged at the Kunda police station. “The U.P. police had come here to nab a criminal who has a bounty of ₹50,000 on his head, but didn’t inform their arrival to the local police,” the official observed.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Uddham Singh Nagar SSP Manjunath TC said the Uttarakhand police have registered an FIR against U.P. police’s 10-12 personnel for murder and other relevant sections of the IPC, on the complaint of the deceased’s husband lodged at the Kunda police station. “The U.P. police had come here to nab a criminal who has a bounty of ₹50,000 on his head, but didn’t inform their arrival to the local police,” the official observed.
{{/usCountry}}He said the U.P. police from the Thakurdwara station in Moradabad district raided the farmhouse of Gurtaj Singh Bhullar, the block pramukh of Bharatpur, that falls under the Kunda police station limits on information that Zafar was taking shelter there. He said Zafar was wanted in connection with illegal confinement and misbehaviour with SDM Thakurdwara Parmanand Singh and mining inspector Ashok Kumar on September 13.
The Moradabad SSP said Bhullar, his father Sukhbinder Singh alias Chindar Singh and two uncles Jagtar Singh and Satnam Singh alias Satta had long crime records.
Contradicting the Uttarakhand police’s claims, the SSP said the Moradabad police had constantly kept their counterparts in the loop. “When the Moradabad police team reached there, Zafar was taken into custody. The villagers, later, forcibly took away Zafar from the police custody,” he added.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Sanjay Singh blamed the U.P. cops for the woman’s death. “Who is guilty of the innocent woman’s death? The BJP rule or the police?” he asked.
Earlier, the Moradabad range DIG had said Zafar and his aides had crossed into the Uttarakhand border, and kept firing at the police team that was chasing them. “Five of our cops were injured, two of them have been hit by bullets fired by the mafia and his aides. Three others were hurt in stone pelting. Besides, Ali and his aides outnumbered the Moradabad police and snatched their weapons,” he added.