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Lawyer shot dead in UP court, colleague arrested: Police
A 40-year-old lawyer was shot dead by a colleague at Shahjahanpur district court in UP over an old rivalry on Monday, police said.
A 40-year-old lawyer was shot dead by a colleague at Shahjahanpur district court in Uttar Pradesh over an old rivalry on Monday, police said. The accused was later arrested and four policemen were suspended for a security lapse, they added.
According to Shahjahanpur superintendent of police (SP) S Anand, advocate Bhupendra Pratap Singh was shot dead by advocate Surendra Kumar Gupta at 11.40 am when Singh visited the record room on the second floor of the complex in connection with a case.
Eyewitnesses claimed they rushed to the room after a gunshot was heard and found Singh in a pool of blood. The accused fled from the spot, the SP said.
“A country-made .315 bore pistol was also found near the body. We have sent the body for a post-mortem examination and formed a team to investigate the case,” he added.
Gupta, however, was detained from outside his house at 2 pm after police ascertained his role with the help of CCTV footage. He was arrested after he confessed to the crime. A forensic field unit was also called in to collect evidence from the site.
“Gupta has confessed to the crime... Singh had filed two dozen cases against the accused which prompted him to take the drastic step,” the SP said.
An FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 120 b (criminal conspiracy) was also registered against the accused lawyer at Sadar Bazar police station.
Taking strong exception to a serious crime like murder on the court premises, four police personnel, including an inspector, were placed under suspension, assistant superintendent of police (city) Sanjay Kumar said.
As a mark of protest, the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh announced that lawyers across the state will abstain from work on Wednesday.
The council also demanded a compensation of ₹50 lakh and a government job for kin of the deceased.
Meanwhile, opposition parties attacked the state government over the law and order situation.
“The judicial fraternity is an integral pillar of our democracy. The brutal murder of an advocate on court premises in broad daylight is another chilling reminder that no one is safe in today’s UP - not women, not farmers and now not advocates,” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted.
Former chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the state has become number one in the country in “ease of doing crime” under the BJP.
“The public murder of the lawyer in the court complex in Shahjahanpur has exposed the truth behind the false propaganda of the ‘encounter sarkar’. Under the BJP government, UP has become ‘number one in ease of doing crime’,” he tweeted.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati tweeted, “The murder of a lawyer on the court premises of Shahjahanpur is very sad and shameful, which exposes the law and order situation under the BJP government here and their claims in this regard. Now, finally the question arises as to who is safe in UP? The government should pay proper attention to this.”
“It turns out to be a case of personal rivalry. Police also acted swiftly and arrested the accused. Of course, it is sad and unfortunate. It’s a crime, not a law and order situation. Yet, the opposition parties are playing politics over it,” a senior BJP leader said, preferring anonymity.
