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Over a dozen killed, many injured in Holi-related clashes in Uttar Pradesh
In Holi-related incidents across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and Friday, over a dozen people were killed and several others injured, police said on Saturday.
Over a dozen people were killed and several others injured in Holi-related incidents in different districts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and Friday, police said on Saturday.
Two people were murdered in separate incidents in Lucknow while double murders were reported from Amethi, Prayagraj and Shahjahanpur. One person each was killed in Ayodhya, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Sambhal, Hardoi, Kannauj and Kaushambi.
In Prayagraj, two more persons were killed in a clash on Saturday.
Meanwhile, additional director general (ADG), law and order, Prashant Kumar said all murders were not related to Holi revelry. He said some incidents were related to old enmity and personal disputes. Police have been directed to take stern action in all incidents, he said.
Pappu Sonkar, 40, was shot dead by one Brij Kishore Sonkar in the dispute over playing loud music after ‘Holika dahan’ in Ghasiyari Mandi on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
Pappu’s wife Ruma told police that the incident took place when Brij Kishore entered into a confrontation with her husband over loud music and then opened fire at him. Pappu died on the spot, police said. They have registered an FIR of murder against Brij Kishore and were hunting for him.
In the second incident reported from Madiaon area, Daya Ram, 35, was killed with bricks after a dispute while consuming liquor with his friends on Friday afternoon. His uncle Tilak Ram has lodged an FIR against the unidentified assailants.
In another incident in Madiaon’s Bharat Nagar locality, one Mohit Gupta was severely injured when his neighbour Pankaj Tiwari attacked him with a sharp-edged object over a petty issue of water from his house coming onto the road while cleaning his house after playing colours at around noon on Friday.
Gupta is undergoing treatment at KGMU.
In Para area, Suraj Gupta, 26, was stabbed outside his house after an argument with two unknown youths at around noon on Friday. He is undergoing treatment in a private hospital.
Virendra Singh, 60, died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a dispute between two groups over playing loud music in Papnamau village under BBD police station limits on Friday.
While two persons died and six others were injured in a group clash following a dispute over applying colour in an Amethi village on Friday, one person was battered to death over a quarrel during Holika dahan in an Ayodhya village on Thursday night, police said.
In Amethi, the incident took place in Revrhapur village. Police said the two deceased -- Akhand Pratap Singh (32) and Shivram Pasi (55) -- were from opposite groups. Pasi’s wife Raj Kumari was also injured in the incident and admitted to hospital.
In Ayodhya, the incident took place in Rajpaliya village under Gosaiganj police station limits during Holika dahan on Thursday night, said police. One Angad Tiwari, 30, was attacked by another local Mandip Dhuriya with a cane following a dispute over some personal issue at the site of Holika dahan. Tiwari suffered fatal head injury and died while being rushed to hospital. Police said Mandip was arrested.
According to the police, a fight between two rival groups eruped due to an old dispute. On Friday, around 2 pm, few drunken youths started fighting. However, the situation was controlled by the police. But, after about two hours, things took an ugly turn resulting in the death of Rahul Sonkar, following which youths from the opposite side thrashed Sanjay to the extent that he breathed his last before reaching the hospital. FIRs have been registered by both groups.
SSP, Prayagraj, Ajay Kumar has suspended six policemen for laxity in duty. Different teams have also been formed to arrest the culprits.
Meanwhile a scuffle between neighbours led to two murders in Lakkarmandi area of Khuldabad on Saturday. BJP’s Khuldabad divisional vice-president Durgesh Chauhan had a dispute with his neighbour Vinod Chauhan, which resulted in firing from both sides. Vinod was shot dead while Vinod’s sister Rani and a neighbour Chintu sustained gunshot injuries. Upset family members of Vinod then together shot and killed Durgesh, too, police said.
Circle officer of Kairana Jitendra Tomar said two groups clashed with each after they consumed alcohol. The rival groups fought with stones and lathis which resulted in injuries to several persons. However, Tomar denied that any villager was injured.
