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Five of family killed in UP property fight
Police said Satya Prakash Dubey and his accomplices first allegedly attacked Prem Chand Yadav, 50, with bricks and sharp-edged weapons that resulted in his death.
Five members of a family were shot dead on Monday after a mob attacked their home to avenge the killing of a 50-year-old man following an argument over a disputed piece of land at Fatehpur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district.
Police said Satya Prakash Dubey and his accomplices first allegedly attacked Prem Chand Yadav, 50, with bricks and sharp-edged weapons that resulted in his death. As the news of Yadav’s death spread, over two dozen residents of Yadav Tola attacked Dubey’s house and killed his 52-year-old wife, and their three children aged between 18 and 10.
The massacre of the six people triggered tensions between the Brahmin and Yadav communities with several vehicles set on fire in the arson that followed, prompting authorities to rush police and provincial armed constabulary personnel to prevent further clashes.
Two years ago, Sadhu Dubey sold his land to Prem Chand Yadav of Abhaipur Yadav Tola, and settled in Gujarat. However, Satya Prakash Dubey claimed that his younger brother was not mentally sound enough to sell the land while Yadav was eager to take possession.
At 7am on Monday, Yadav reached the land in bid to take possession, sparking a heated exchange with Dubey. which was opposed by Satya Prakash Dubey and his family. The dispute turned violent and Dubey slit Yadav’s throat.
In retaliation, the Yadavs attacked Dubey’s house and opened fire resulting in the death of five members of his family, said cops.
The Dubeys, officials said, were residents of Lehra Tola of Fatehpur village.
Apart from 54-year-old Dubey and 52-year-old Yadav, the deceased included Dubey’s wife Kiran 52, two daughters Saloni, 18, and Nandani,10, and one son Gandhi, 15. Dubey’s eight-year-old son, Anmol, was in a critical condition and referred to the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and conveyed his condolences to the grieving families. He directed authorities to ensure appropriate medical treatment for the injured.
According to reports, both families had registered complaints with local police and revenue officials to resolve the land dispute.
Additional superintendent of police (SP) Rajesh Kumar said police carried out raids on various hideouts of the culprits, but no complaint was registered by any group yet. Priority of the police was to restore peace in the village, he added.
SP (Deoria) Sankalp Sharma said four people had been detained and PAC jawans have been deployed in the area.
Special DG (law and order) Prashant Kumar confirmed that 14 people had been detained and their interrogation was underway.
The CM was monitoring the investigation from his camp office in Gorakhpur, he added.
“I am camping in the village and investigation is going on. Fourteen people have been detained for questioning,” said Sanjay Prasad, principal secretary (home). Senior officials of the state government also rushed to the village after the incident.
