Shootout in UP court leaves five dead

In a daring daylight attack, four gunmen shot dead two undertrials at the sessions and civil court premises in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday. Three of the assailants were then gunned down by the police.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal said the three assailants were yet to be identified.

The clashes lasted for 15 minutes after it started at 12: 15 pm.

“The police have registered a case and started investigations,” he added. Hathras police chief J.P. Singh said a hunt was on for the assailant who had managed to escape.

The two undertrials, Kamlesh Kumar and Satyavir Singh, were accused of kidnapping and murder of a truck driver in August 2008, according to Singh.

Police said they were arrested in August last year on these charges. A case was then registered at the Sikandara police station, said a police officer.

On Saturday, they had been brought to Hathras from Aligarh jail for a court appearance when the four men fired at them. The assailants then ran for the exit. The police opened fire, killing three of them.

Reports suggested that the sub-inspector who had brought the undertrials to court chased the three men and shot them in the encounter that followed.

Singh said investigations are going on and prima facie, it seems to be a case of an old enmity.

In another court drama, this time in Mathura, a murder accused managed to escape from a fast-track court on a motorcycle. Brij Lal said the police had launched a manhunt to nab the accused, Virendra, as well as his accomplice.

UP is no stranger to violence in court premises. In 2004, a lawyer was killed at the Hathras court and then in 2006, a bomb blast claimed one life.