Deoria violence: Key accused held, rifle used in killings recovered

SP Deoria, Sankalp Mishra, disclosed details regarding the arrest of Navnath Mishra and confirmed that the recovered rifle was utilised in a series of three fatal rounds fired on the day of the incident.

GORAKHPUR In a significant development on Sunday, authorities made a significant stride in the Fatehpur village violence case in Deoria district, where six lives were tragically lost. The primary suspect, Navnath Mishra, also known as Pattu, has been arrested by the police. Additionally, officers have successfully recovered the firearm believed to have been used in the heinous killings from the suspect’s possession.

The primary suspect has reportedly confessed to his involvement in the crime. (HT Photo)

Navnath Mishra, who previously served as the personal bodyguard and driver of the late former zila panchayat member, Prem Chand Yadav, had been evading law enforcement since the fateful events that unfolded on October 2.

SP Deoria, Sankalp Mishra, disclosed details regarding the arrest of Navnath Mishra and confirmed that the recovered rifle was utilized in a series of three fatal rounds fired on the day of the incident. The primary suspect has reportedly confessed to his involvement in the crime.

Moreover, SP Sankalp Sharma revealed that the rifle’s license was registered in the name of the deceased, Prem Chand Yadav. Furthermore, a police team has been dispatched to Gujarat with the aim of locating and returning Prem Chand Yadav’s brother, Gyan Prakash Dubey, also known as Sadhu, who had previously sold property to the deceased.

In addition to these developments, local authorities have initiated the process to revoke the firearms licences issued to residents of Fatehpur village under the jurisdiction of Rudrapur police station in Deoria. Initially, 17 individuals have been identified whose firearms licences are slated for cancellation. It has come to light that at least 26 individuals in the village held such licences, including 17 who are either suspects or have been accused in connection with the violence.

Furthermore, the role of Sub-Inspector Jitendra Tandon, who served at Rudrapur police station from December 2020 to February 2022, is under investigation for his role in issuing firearms licenses. SP Deoria, Sankalp Sharma, has formally requested SP Kushinagar to consider reassigning the sub-inspector to administrative duties.

Political Frenzy As Demolition Decision Looms

As the fate of former zila panchayat member Prem Chand Yadav’s house hangs in the balance with an impending demolition decision, Sunday witnessed a flurry of political activity in the troubled village. Several delegations representing various political parties converged on Fatehpur village, expressing their solidarity with the grieving members of the deceased family. The scramble for political advantage over this issue reached its peak on Sunday.

Former Minister Slams ‘One-Sided Action’

Former minister and senior Samajwadi Party leader, Jai Prakash Yadav, along with district unit presidents of the SP from Kushinagar and Deoria, arrived in the village to offer condolences to Prem Chand Yadav’s family. He strongly criticized what he perceived as one-sided actions by the police, especially their alleged intimidation of the children in Prem Chand Yadav’s family who had lost their guardian in the tragic incident. Yadav also called for an FIR to be lodged in response to an application submitted by Abhimanyu Yadav a week prior.

Speaking to the media, Jai Prakash Yadav raised questions about the timing of the demolition exercise, which he deemed highly inappropriate given the deep shock the entire village was still reeling from. He expressed condemnation for the revenue department’s demarcation efforts, which seemed out of place during such a sensitive time.

State Secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Vijay Yadav, joined in the criticism, condemning the perceived laxity of both the police and revenue departments, which contributed to the horrifying incident. Former MP and senior SP leader, Baleshwar Yadav, also visited the village, urging restraint and emphasizing the need to avoid extreme actions against any family involved in the incident.

Don’t give the incident a caste hue: Rajbhar

President of the Suheldev Samaj Party, Om Prakash Rajbhar, arrived at Fatehpur village on Sunday and strongly condemned attempts by some leaders to cast caste-based narratives on the group clash. He expressed concern about rumors circulating in the media regarding the arrival of bulldozers for the demolition of Prem Chand Yadav’s house and cautioned against such misinformation, which he believed could exacerbate the existing problems.

Rajbhar acknowledged the state government’s prompt response to the incident, including the suspension of 15 officials and the initiation of a high-level inquiry. He emphasized that the shocking incident was spontaneous and not the result of caste clashes. Notably, members of the Rajbhar and Nishad communities have also been named in the FIR.